Angel Unchained
by Silvercreekmama
Summary: Daryl and Amber are revelling in married life when changes both in and outside their home turn their lives upside down. The Georgia DEMONS MC is also taking heat from two different directions. Daryl will be faced with deciding if everything he and 'Baby Girl' have built is worth risking the very thing he fears the most: letting down the people he has finally opened his heart to.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys! So glad to have y'all back in the Daryl/Amber universe! I'm so excited about the Season 4 premiere tonight! All that yummy Daryl goodness! Meaty Daryl, yes, that's Mama's favorite!**

**This chapter brings us back to their world, catching us up to what's happened since their wedding! I hope you enjoy! The stuff that's coming up, oh shit guys, WE (Myself, Kaye, and Shelly) just can't wait. I'm also going to try to actually name each chapter. Why? Hell, I don't know, just something different.**

**If you haven't already followed/favorited this story's spin off "Home Sweet Home" by SOA loving mom (why the hell not?!) you need to! It will continue to augment my story line more than ever. In fact, SOA has already got a shit ton of great stuff written and is just waiting on me to catch up!**

**I don't own "Georgia Peaches" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.**

_Well these Georgia Peaches _

_Son they know their way around _

_They can take your money, son before you get sight of town _

_Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine _

_Nine out of ten of them gonna sell you a dime _

_I think they're cute, think they're cute as they can be _

_Talkin' about a funny talkin', honk-tonking Georgia Peach_

_-"Georgia Peaches" by Lynyrd Skynyrd_

_One year and one month_ _after Daryl and Amber's wedding_

Daryl Dixon had this married shit down.

He smirked to himself as he climbed one branch higher in the peach tree in the middle of the farm's orchard. His boots dug into the bark, leaning his body weight onto his knees on another branch so he could counterbalance and free his hands. Then he began picking the ripe fruit, occasionally flicking a wasp off one as he tried to ignore Merle's whistling from one tree over. His older brother had only grown more cheerfully annoying since his wedding to Beth the previous fall. They had married in the front yard of the big house, the young woman having made peace enough with her family for her father to walk her down the aisle and Maggie to stand at her side along with Amber. Things were still a bit strained though, evidenced by Herschel's glares at his son-in-law when he came to treat the farm's livestock.

Daryl wasn't concerned with it, that was Merle's problem. Baby Girl and her Desperado were doing 'just as fine as frog hair' as she would say. The previous year all of them had busted their asses, first planting twice the size of gardens than had been on the farm for the last decade or so. Then had come keeping it all weeded, and watered through a drought. Not to mention Daryl had the duties of keeping his wife good and satisfied. He grinned to himself, still getting used to that word. Amber Lynn DIXON, she was his WIFE.

Baby Girl worked as hard as any of them, maybe harder, determined not to let her injuries from the previous summer slow her down. Daryl had watched her carefully, keeping his mouth shut for the most part, stepping in and demanding she rest only after particularly long days in the heat or standing in the kitchen of the big house preserving food had left her limp evident. She would grumble but then comply. And the 'satisfying' had worked both ways. Their sex life developed some well, interesting aspects. They now had a locked "toy box" under their bed, filled with things that Daryl hadn't known even existed until lately. But he was sure as hell glad he knew now, though Amber's body would always be his favorite toy.

The farm wasn't the only place Daryl and Merle were working like dogs. The work at the club had increased exponentially between the Irish demanding ridiculous increases in gun shipments and the Patriots from the north bitching about the C4. Also, some local meth cooks popped up, Barry quickly sending out teams to shut them down. There had been many times over the last year that Daryl was just been too damn tired for sex, being awake for almost twenty four hours at a time before catching a few hours sleep and doing it all over again. But the farm work ebbed as winter had approached, as always, allowing them time to catch up with one another in between runs for the club. They spent chilly mornings in their bedroom, well warmed by the fireplace and each others bodies as they explored and pushed limits. Then late breakfasts, Amber making Daryl's favorites before they would relax in the living room, him reading or adjusting and cleaning weapons while Amber sat next to him (really they usually ended up tangled up in one another, her computer on his legs, Daryl telling her "here, hold tension on this while I adjust that" while working on the bow) as she shopped or flipped through channels on the TV.

Not to say there hadn't been some stressful times. They had the usual first year spats, including one particular round of fireworks that they would remember for quite a while. As Christmas approached, the boxes arriving on the porch had increased, Daryl eventually questioning the need for so much of their money being spent. Actually he said "Why the hell are ya spending so much a MY hard earned money on this shit for everbody else?!" The second the word "MY" fell out of his mouth the look on Amber's face hardened and Daryl knew he had just fucked himself royally. She QUICKLY pulled out the bank books, showing Daryl how they had been putting over three quarters of his earnings into savings each month, that she hadn't even put a dent into it with her Christmas shopping and that HE could now keep track of HIS money. She also brought up the fact that her mother, Kaye, and Carol had already asked her to run the kitchen at Ty's (as Jake's had been renamed after the Angels bought it). She already planned the menu for them, and gave them her recipes for the dishes so it would be a natural progression. At least that way SHE would have some money of her OWN. Daryl knew Amber couldn't spend that many hours on her feet at a time but from the set of her mouth he could tell she would sure as hell TRY and probably hurt herself in the process. He backpedaled as fast as he could, acknowledging how her work in the kitchens at the farm preserved the food he and Merle brought in from the fields, and how she kept their house running while he was gone with the club. The bad thing was, when he told Norm and Barry about it on a run the next week they laughed at him, nearly busting their guts over him saying it was his money.

Norm seemed to be doing some better, but most of the time it was a crap shoot as to what kind of mood he was in. Amber questioned Kaye about bruises that seemed to pop up randomly around her neck or wrists, but the older woman would just remind her that she had bruises of her own, that they both were just from rough sex. Amber told Daryl that she didn't believe her. Kaye always had a haunted look in her eyes to go with the bruises, while Daryl marking Baby Girl made her feel free and lighter, cementing them together as one. He agreed, telling her how Sarge seemed more cold with each passing kill.

Then that damn stomach virus came. It hit the club right around Daryl and Amber's first anniversary, right after they came back from a well deserved week long trip tent camping in the Smoky Mountains. It seemed like they pulled the truck up into the yard one afternoon, more relaxed than they had been since their honeymoon to wake up each camped out in a bathroom for the next week. It had spread through the farm too, Roxie having to be hospitalized for a few days. Daryl battled through it but it hit Amber hard. He finally had to take her to the emergency room despite her protests, resulting in her getting a bag of IV fluids. She was still a few pounds from her regular weight but seemed to be getting her stamina back now that her eating was back to normal. That didn't keep Daryl from fussing over every bite she left on her plate.

"Lookee there, bro!" Merle called over from his tree, breaking Daryl from his thoughts as he worked in the oppressive heat. This summer was shaping up to be as hot as the last already. Daryl looked up to the garden path, seeing Amber and Beth heading their way, each carrying a basket and a gallon jug. Sugar was trotting alongside, dutifully obeying the "Stay Mama." command Daryl had given her that day after they left lunch from the big house to head for the orchard. The dog was now well over a hundred pounds and was Daryl's constant companion when outdoors unless commanded otherwise. He had taught her a few others, including a "Sic" command that he hoped to never have to use. It did make him feel more at ease about leaving Baby Girl when he went on late night runs though after watching the dog rip apart the scarecrow they used for practice. But when the giant canine entered the house, the situation changed. Amber babied her, feeding her table scraps and still allowing her to share their bed. Daryl had woken up many times to a wet dog nose in his face instead of the Baby Girl he was expecting.

"Whatcha reckon they got?" he yelled back to his brother.

"Does it matter?" Merle asked back, already swinging down from his tree. Beth's cooking skills had been almost nonexistent when she and Merle married but Amber had taken her under her wing, showing her everything she knew. They now had the kitchen in the big house well in hand, all six of them eating at least two meals a day there during the busy season, with Deb there as well when Barry was away.

The women were standing under the trees by the time Daryl carefully handed his full sack of fruit down to Merle and climbed down himself. This would be the last picking of the year and Roxie had warned her "boys" that any bruised fruit would be taken out of their hides. They knew she was joking (halfway, anyway) but still watched what they were doing. The enlarging of the gardens, additional livestock, and the Dixon's hunting had provided almost all their food the previous winter. They all knew they could have saved theirselves a ton of sweat by just buying it, but they also knew what they grew and butchered themselves tasted a whole hell of a lot better than anything boxed. They all also had a certain amount of pride to it too. The week after Merle and Beth came back from their honeymoon, Roxie and Silas had asked the Dixon's and their wives to accompany them to their lawyer's office in town. There they had their will changed, the farm and all it's holding would be split between Daryl and Merle in the event of the Dover's deaths. Debra had no use for it so it seemed to be the right thing to do.

Daryl swung down from the lowest branch, his boots hitting the dry Georgia clay with a thud. Merle was already digging in Beth's basket, whistling appreciatively. Amber held out her jug to Daryl first, knowing he had most probably sweated himself nearly dry. He didn't miss the way she looked at him as he took it. He grinned at her, no words needed as he turned up the jug, gulping down her sweet tea, so cold that it was slushy and threatened to give him a headache.

Why she got hot and bothered when he was all sweaty and dirty was beyond him. Daryl was wearing his usual ratty work pants, a filthy wife beater soaked in sweat, and his work boots. His hair was to his shoulders now but he refused to wear a do rag like his father in law or to pull it back into a pony tail. What he would do was flip his bandana around itself and wear it like a sweatband, keeping his hair out of his eyes while he worked. He had it that way now and Baby Girl's eyes skimmed over it and Daryl's cock twitched despite the heat. The first time he had worn that bandana like that it earned him some good "play time".

"Hungry?" she asked, holding out the basket.

"Fuck yeah." he answered, taking a step to her side to inspect the contents, his own eyes wandering. The double meaning of their words wasn't lost to either of them. She was wearing a cream colored sundress, pink roses scattered across the background of the print. It was short, giving him a good view of her curvy thighs and was damp with sweat, sticking to her breasts. He found himself trying to remember which panties she had slipped on that morning after leaving their bed and was disappointed that he couldn't remember. Well, he couldn't go around all day not knowing what color underwear his wife was wearing, now could he? That would have to be rectified just as soon as they were alone.

Daryl pulled the towel off the top of the basket to inspect the contents. It wasn't time for supper so there was no telling what was inside. But considering the full bushel baskets that were crowding the kitchen floor he had an idea what it had been made with. He was right, the smell of hot peaches wafting up even before the fresh fried pies were revealed. He grabbed the wet rag she had draped over the side of the basket, hurriedly wiping his hands off before going for the prize inside.

"Jesus..." he said, smirking up at her for a second before gingerly lifting one out.

"Careful, I just took them out of the fryer. They're hot." she warned.

"No shit?" he tossed it from hand to hand, already aware. After a moment it cooled enough to handle and he plopped down at the base of the tree, jerking his head over at the ground at his side for her to join him. Baby Girl sat, tucking her bare feet up under her. She and Beth shared a look.

"Merle, there's something I want to show you in the barn." the younger woman said, not waiting on him to respond before heading that way.

"What?" he asked around a mouthful of pie, before a grin of realization crossed his face and he turned to address his brother as he wiped his hands on the grease rag from his back pocket. "Break time bro, I'll be back...whenever I get done." He caught up with Beth, unashamedly grabbing her ass they made their way over the hill to the barn.

"Y'all ain't as smart as y'all think, girl." Daryl said as soon as they were out of earshot. Amber did her best to give him an innocent look.

"Whatever do you mean? I was just coming down here to make sure the farm hand wasn't hungry?"

Daryl snickered, taking another bite of the pie, having to force down a groan. Baby Girl was almost as good in the kitchen as she was in the bed. Almost.

"Thanks." he answered, making sure it was around a mouthful of peach filling. "I'm good now. Reckon ya can head back on up ta the big house. Jus leave the basket and jug here."

"Fine." she huffed, standing. Daryl noted that she only had to touch the tree for a second to maintain her balance and he was proud of that. Amber had come so far in the almost two years since that night she was nearly taken from him forever. She made it a single step before his sticky fingers closed over her wrist, jerking her back down and into his lap. He had noted something after she stood up and was now halfway between pissed and horny as hell.

"Where tha FUCK are yer panties?!" he growled into her ear from behind, one arm tight around her waist as the other traveled up her inner thigh to confirm.

"Back home in the drawer I gue...oh..." she gasped, his fingers sliding over damp skin and then between wet folds. She settled in between Daryl's knees more firmly, spreading her own a little more as her head dropped back on his shoulder.

"Farm girl's really a little slut, ain't she? Comin up here flashin her pussy where anybody can see."

Amber bit her lip as his middle finger circled her clit. "You...*gasp*...might want to be careful...my husband..."

"Kinda feels like he ain't been doin his job..." Daryl said in her ear, fighting the grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. He knew if Baby Girl made him get tickled that meant she won the game. "Gettin his woman all wet and then leavin her around the hired help. Jus begs for trouble..."

Amber nodded, beyond words now. She WAS desperately wet, and Daryl looking like he did right now had made it worse. His finger was sliding all around her clit in a maddening non-rhythm that was just off enough to be frustrating. Then he dipped his fingertip just inside her and her hips tilted up, encouraging it to go deeper. He pulled away and Amber groaned.

"Daryl..."

"Tell me, little slut. Why'd ya REALLY walk out here?"

She shook her head against him. "Told you..."

Daryl stopped all motion against her, despite his now rock hard member demanding otherwise. It seemed Baby Girl needed a reminder of who was in charge. Maybe it was just that she wanted a reminder. She was a greedy little slut like that.

"Dammit...Daryl..." she pleaded, her own hand going over his to make it move. He slapped it away, snickering.

"Aw no. Tell me."

Baby Girl growled in frustration, giving a fairly accurate, though feminine, copy of her husband. "I wanted you, okay?"

"Ya got me. So what's ya problem?" He spoke against the skin of her neck, then ghosting the edges of his teeth over the sweat damp skin. Amber turned her head to give him better access but she got no relief. He was making sure to leave it so close and so far at the same time.

That filthy, sweaty, sexy bastard.

"You're not doing what I WANT, that's my damn problem!"

"Then tell me. Ya never shut up anyway..."

Aha, there it was. This was something he had latched onto in the last year. Making Amber tell him what she wanted, what she needed. Outside of this aspect of their lives Daryl was the quiet one while she (as he liked to put it) never shut up. He liked her that way, it didn't hurt her feelings when he said that. But when they were alone and things got heated up he would make her talk, make her detail what she wanted when Amber knew damn well he already knew. Daryl just liked making her squirm. And the truth of the matter was, she liked squirming. But not today, she wasn't going to give it to him. Baby Girl had come out here determined to make him the horny babbling mess, with her fried pies, sweet tea, and absence of underwear. Plus Daryl Dixon could never resist an outdoors fuck, he was that much of an animal. So Daryl could just sit there for as long as he wanted, with his peach sticky fingers annoyingly motionless in her pussy and his teeth promising sweet pain on her neck...

"I need Daddy to fuck me hard until I scream."

God, if Amber didn't love him like she did she would really hate his guts sometimes.

Daryl laughed, that deep satisfied chuckle that said he had won. Amber didn't have time to get disgruntled further before the bite hit her tender flesh at the same time his fingertip skimmed directly over her clit. She moaned, digging her toes into the grass to push her back firmly against his chest. Then his teeth left her, head turning to the one they had left forgotten in the tall grass a few feet away.

"Sugar! Go swim!"

The dog didn't have to be told twice, turning to run so fast toward the pond that she left a haze of red dust kicked up in her wake. She loved to swim, the water giving relief from her thick fur in the heat.

Then Daryl turned his attention back to the one in his arms, his fingers not having departed their work while he addressed the dog. He sucked on the bite mark, tongue laving over the soft flesh. The hand that had pinned her to him left her waist and came up, pulling the neckline of sundress down below one breast. He palmed the weight, grunting in approval when it filled his hand and then some. Then he pinched the nipple, the amount of pressure well practiced, just enough to give the perfect mix of pleasure and pain. Daryl was rewarded with Amber's nails digging into his legs through his pants where she had braced herself and more wet slicking his other hand.

"That's it, Baby Girl. Cum hard for me and I'll fuck ya like ya want."

He shifted her in his arms, Amber helping once she realized what he was doing. She ended up sideways on his lap, so Daryl could drop his head to the breast his hand had just left, the other able to delve two middle fingers deeply into her as his thumb kept up it's relentless assault on her swollen nub. She jerked and Daryl smirked around the nipple he was suckling hard, knowing it was because his wedding band had contacted her tender flesh. He had an additional ring now, that sat on their bathroom counter when he worked on the farm. Baby Girl had given it to him for Christmas, a skull with a rattlesnake emerging from one of the eyesockets. It's usefulness had been proven a week later at the New Years party at Ty's. A couple of drunks had started causing trouble and Daryl and Merle had been pressed into being bouncers. One of the drunks had taken a cheap shot at Daryl and the rattlesnake ended up costing the asshole some stitches below his left eye as well as about ten minutes of consciousness.

Amber began to jerk in Daryl's arms in time to the motions of his mouth and hand. He waited until she slammed down around his fingers to bring his head up, the hand behind her back sliding up to grip her hair and press her face into his shoulder. She bit him hard, just above the collarbone, stifling her loud moans against his sweat slick skin. Her grandfather was marking off the new cornfield a couple of hills over and there was no need to advertise what was going on underneath the peach trees, now married or not.

Daryl shuddered and groaned, not in pain but in need. It had been a couple days since they had been able to participate in anything more involved than a shower quickie or a hurried blow job in the barn. Spring planting season, coupled with the peaches coming ripe had kicked all their asses. They were all looking forward to leaving for a bike rally in Texas in a few days. It would be a week of nothing but bikes, booze, and time with their Angels. It would also be the first big rally the Dixons would attend.

As soon as Baby Girl's body relaxed Daryl kissed her forehead, gently scooting her off his lap. He went to lay her in the grass but she shook her head, turning over onto her hands and knees.

"Said I wanted hard..." she reminded him, voice still breathy from her release. Daryl didn't argue, he would never turn down the opportunity to fuck her while he looked at his mark. He hurriedly undid his belt, Baby Girl pressing her hips back when she heard the buckle. He jerked her skirt up over her ass and then smacked it hard, making her cry out.

"Greedy little slut, gimme a damn minute."

The button and zipper were opened and a second later they both got what they wanted, warm wet enveloping throbbing hardness. Daryl seated himself fully inside her, taking a second to let her adjust. Then he ground against her hard, his head stroking the end of her before he began to thrust. He began hard and fast, not in the mood to wait. What he needed right now was the release that only rough fucking her body could give him. That must have been what she needed too because her chest dropped to the ground, allowing one hand to travel down her body to pinch and pull her clit relentlessly.

He was almost there, could feel the pressure building and he wanted her against him when he came. Daryl reached out to grab her ponytail, wrapping it around his fist twice before jerking her body against his. The sudden change in angle pushed them both over the edge, Daryl with enough forethought to bring his other hand up and over Amber's mouth roughly to stifle her cries while he roared into her neck.

Ten minutes later they were both dressed, Daryl whistling loudly for Sugar in between bites of peach pie and swigs of sweet tea. Amber smoothed her dress down and he reached out, gently brushing grass and dust off the front. Then he leaned over to kiss her, unable to pick her up since his hands were full.

"I love ya, girl. Thanks for the pies and tea."

She laughed up at him, brushing sugary syrup off the corner of his mouth with a thumb before sticking it in her own to suck it clean.

"No problem. It's my job to keep the hired help happy. I love you too." Baby Girl lit him a smoke before she left, hips swaying as she carried the now empty basket, Sugar by her side as she topped the hill.

"And get ya SOME FUCKIN DRAWERS ON!" he yelled after her, chuckling when she lifted a hand over her shoulder to flip him off. He pulled the smoke from his mouth to pop the last bite of pie in, noting the salty trace of Baby Girl under the peach and cinnamon on his fingertip as he licked it.

As far as Daryl Dixon was concerned, married life was pretty sweet.


	2. Rally Pt 1 (Wandering Eyes)

**Woohoo, rally time! We start off with fun and sweetness. Then smut that turned out way sweeter than expected, considering the sex act that's in it. And then, you know me...**

**It all goes to hell in a handbasket.**

**Thanks to everyone who has already followed and favorited! Please review! It lets me know what I'm doing right and what I'm not. Please remember what I said about all our DEMONS going dark places during this fic.**

_Three days later, 6 p.m., Texas_

Amber's whole bottom half felt like it was vibrating even after she swung off the Scrambler. This was the longest ride she had ever done, the sixteen hours to Texas. True, it had been broken up, the first eight hours the day before. But they had crashed for less than six at a crappy motel in Louisiana and then did the next eight. Which had taken considerably longer considering the women's need for bathroom breaks being more frequent than what the DEMONS were used to on runs, plus the extra time it took to get a group this large into and out of each stop. She could tell Daryl was getting antsy having to hold back on the Scrambler's throttle. Her father and Norm rode point, Jim having stayed behind to keep an eye on the club and the members that had to stay behind for various commitments. Daryl stayed behind them mostly, occasionally falling back to ride beside Merle for a bit as he rode sweep. Just behind him were the two "crash trucks", the large moving vans that had been rented to carry everyone's gear so they didn't have to worry about saddlebags. Part of the point of a rally was to show off your ride and that was hard to do with shit hanging off the side obscuring the chrome. Also, in the case that someone broke down their bike would be loaded onto one of the trucks.

Amber went to take a step toward the trucks to start unloading their bags when her prosthetic right knee buckled. The muscles keeping it extended had been maxed out during the ride. Just before she would have hit the ground a strong arm circled her waist, pulling her up and against Daryl's chest. It was now covered in his DEMONS wear, a black tee and his leather.

"Dammit, girl! I thought I told ya ta sit yer ass down when we got here!" he scowled down at her. "Are ya hurtin?"

"No," she huffed, ashamed at having to be helped. "I just tripped."

"Liar. Ya knee gave out, I saw it. Quit fuckin around and just tell me if I need ta grab ya one of ya pain pills."

"No, I'm not hurting. Just tired." she admitted, caught. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and she raised one back. She was telling the truth now, it wasn't hurting. He yelled over to Merle who was already at the back of one of the crash trucks.

"Grab her cane, it's in with our stuff!"

"Daryl, no, I'm fine!" Amber shook her head. "I've not used it in almost a year."

"An the therapist said ya needed ta when ya had trouble. Now use ya cane or I'll carry ya ass in and make ya sit while we unload." He didn't yell, having changed over the last two years. But his words had a firm finality that promised he would start yelling if he had to.

Merle tossed the cane over, Daryl catching it deftly before pressing it into her hand. The cool wrought iron filled her palm, not looking or feeling the murder weapon that it was. Amber rolled her eyes at Daryl but he just gave her a triumphant smirk and a pat on the ass as they made their way over to the trucks. He only let her carry her backpack over one shoulder, getting the rest of their bags himself. Deb handed out room assignments for the cabin that Barry, Norm, the Dixon's and their Angels were staying in. It didn't surprise anyone that Amber and Daryl got the basement (which happened to have the exit to the deck over looking the creek and hot tub) while her daddy would be sleeping safely out of earshot on the opposite corner of the second floor. Norm and Kaye got the first floor bedroom, Merle and Beth the pull out couch in the living room.

Amber had put away most of their things with Daryl finally insisting she rest a few minutes later. His way of insisting was pulling her down on the bed with a growl and pinning her with his own body.

"Well, hi there!" she teased.

"Hi my ass!" he said before dropping his head and capturing her mouth. His lips pulled back after a moment. "No damn garden to tend, no fuckin peaches ta pick. No dope ta guard. Just me..." he licked a line up her neck to her earlobe "my girl..." said earlobe was then sucked on for a moment "and a big bed." Then he nipped her earlobe, making her laugh and push at his chest.

"Don't forget the hot tub and the creek to skinny dip in after the old farts go to sleep!" she agreed.

"Fuck yeah! Been too damn long since I had your sweet ass skinny dippin!" That made them both chuckle. It had been less than a week since Daryl had come in hot and sweaty from a late run and Baby Girl met him on the porch naked with a couple of towels. They had headed straight to the pond, Daryl's clothes ending up haphazardly strewn all over the dock they married on except for his leather which had been carefully folded and laid on a pylon.

"Well, WHO exactly are those OLD FARTS?!"

Daryl and Amber both jumped, Deb's voice from the doorway a surprise. Daryl's face immediately flamed red as he let Baby Girl squirm out from under him. He then flopped over on his stomach, effectively hiding his hard on from his mother in law. She grinned knowingly in his direction.

"Really, Demon. You act like I hadn't seen someone get hard before. What are you, sixteen?"

"Jesus." he groaned into the bed, face flaming hotter as he jerked a pillow over his head. Amber just laughed and nudged her mother with her elbow.

"What's that?"

Deb held up the gift bag in question. "What? You think it's for you just because the bag's pink?"

"Well, I don't think it's for him!" she retorted, motioning to the mortified biker on the bed. Deb nodded in agreement, handing over the gift. A second later Daryl heard a shriek and then the bed shifted as Amber plopped down at the foot. He lifted the pillow, peering out as she pulled what appeared to be a smaller version of his leather from the bag.

"Oh mama..." Amber gasped, hand going over her mouth. "My property patch?"

Debra nodded, ignoring Daryl as he forgot his embarrassment in favor of curiosity to crawl up behind Amber and look over her shoulder. Amber reached up and the two women embraced, Deb taking the opportunity to reach out and tousle Daryl's hair. He jerked back and tried to scowl at her but it was futile, ending up with just a smirk. She sure as hell didn't act like mother in law's were supposed to, at least from what he could tell from his experience (which was almost nil).

Deb stepped over to the door and looked back at her daughter. "Kaye is giving Beth hers. It's heavier than it looks sometimes, remember that Pooshie." Her eyes clouded over for a moment but then she shook her head, smile returning. "Be ready to ride the circuit in ten. Or that's what the old farts told me anyway."

She left them alone then. Amber held the vest up so Daryl could see the back. It had the DEMONS rocker across the top. Then under that it said "Property of the DEMONS Leraje".

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, smoothing her fingers over the stitching. Daryl nodded slowly, pulling his smokes out of his own vest to press them into her hand. She lit him one quickly, then jumped up, laying her new leather on the chest of drawers with almost the same amount of reverence she had shown Daryl's for the past two years. He knew most women would balk at wearing a piece of clothing that declared them their husband's "property". But not his girl. It meant more than what it just looked like anyway, the gift hadn't been a surprise to Daryl. Debbie had to come to him and ask his permission before she had it made. It was club protocol, they both knew what his immediate answer would be. A large part of it was as a safety measure, especially at big rally's like this one. A woman marked as property of a member of a club (especially one of the most notorious, as the DEMONS were) would be less likely to be pushed up on by other guys. Also, if they got separated while there (which he didn't plan on, they had already had a LONG discussion about her staying right beside him the whole time) other brothers would watch out for her until Daryl could get her in sight again. Daryl had heard about some of the things that happened, especially at night at the larger rally's and he knew that he wouldn't be totally comfortable unless she was inside their charter's camp. Over the last year he had learned to trust the men he rode with, knowing they would protect his most precious possession with their lives, just like he would the other Angels. These men were her uncle's, Merle like her brother. They wouldn't act like leering assholes.

"So, do you approve?"

Daryl's head jerked up from where he lay on his back lost in thought with his cig dangling out of the corner of his mouth. She was now dressed in a pair of jeans that were more rips than fabric. He knew she wouldn't wear a pair of short shorts outside of camp because of that damn scar. But honestly, shorts probably would have ended up covering more skin. She had on a pair of five inch heeled boots that came to her knees and on top it was her new bikini top, with the leather on over it.

He laid his head back down on the bed, knowing to argue would be a lost cause. "Yer fuckin hot as hell, like always. Just remember that when ya gotta bail me out of jail for beatin some bikers ass when he can't keep his eyes off yer tits."

He looked up when she tossed his gloves and sunglasses onto his chest. "And YOU remember what I said before we left home. There will be women riding around here with nothing on top. You look one second longer than is necessary to keep the bike from hitting them and I know one DEMON who won't be getting any playtime tonight!"

Daryl sat up then, hurriedly pulling on his gloves. "What play time? We left the toy box at home?"

"Didn't bring the whole box, just needed one thing." she saw his eyes flick over to her backpack. "Oh no, you peek and ruin it, and you won't get ANY sex this week, much less special playtime."

Daryl stood then, slipping on his sunglasses. Amber grinned, he was Demon Daryl now. He walked toward the door, slapping her hard on the ass as he passed.

"Come on then, bitch. We got a circuit to ride."

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

Five hours later Amber was lounging next to the firepit with Beth, admiring each others property patches while her mother and Kaye talked in hushed tones a few feet away. The ride of the circuit had taken nearly two hours, resulting in a few DEMONS getting slapped in the back of the head by their wives for eyeballing a set of what Amber called "ginormous" tits too long. Also, Merle had gotten a little huffy with Beth over her looking at a "young buck" coming out of Buffalo Bills. It was smoothed out by the time they all got back to camp however. The Angels opted to stay at camp, having ridden quite enough the last two days. A bottle of whiskey and a joint had been passed around but Baby Girl avoided both, her stomach still recovering from the stomach virus a month before.

The men had rode into town to drink and start trouble after dropping their women off with warnings to stay in camp. That had been three hours ago and Amber was starting to wish for the sound of bikes to come up the drive. She was psyching herself up for that "special play time" when Daryl got back and was afraid she would chicken out or he would be too drunk. Finally the group of single headlights came up, none looking as steady as when they left. Daryl wasn't the worst by far, though. Norm barely kept his Harley up as he parked it, having to attempt the kickstand more than once before he got it. Merle and Daryl were already at his side by the time he slid off the seat but he pushed them away, seeking out Kaye like he was a wolf and she was a rabbit. A few seconds later he had her up and over his shoulder, her screaming his name in shock as he stumbled toward the cabin. Amber couldn't help but smile, at least they seemed to be getting along. But then she saw her daddy grab his own Angel, putting his tongue down her throat as one gloved hand slid over the crotch of her jeans.

"Dammit!" Baby Girl groaned, jumping up to get away from the spectacle. She found herself nose to chest with a DEMON of her own, vaguely registering Beth shriek behind her. Daryl smirked down at her in the firelight, surrounding her with the smell of smoke, leather, and whiskey. Suddenly, Amber wasn't having to psyche herself up anymore. She took his hand, leading him to the back side of the cabin where the deck had an entrance to their bedroom. She really didn't want to weed through all the old folks to get to their room.

Daryl went behind her easily but as soon as they got to the back side of the cabin her boots left the ground. She found herself pinned between his rock hard body and the log siding, though not unpleasantly. Daryl's hands were tearing at his tee that she had put on after he left. It was quickly ripped over her head, then the cups of her bra roughly pawed aside so he could get his calloused hands on her breasts.

"Best tits EVER." he growled, the first words since he drove back on the place. Amber giggled breathlessly.

"Even better then Miss Girnormous this afternoon?"

"Shut up." he commanded, one hand pinching the side of a swell. She gasped and then groaned.

"Inside baby. Remember, play time?"

"Don't NEED a toy ta fuck my woman." he answered, not swayed from fucking her against the cabin.

"Your going to need what I brought to fuck me like what I want, though."

"What?" he asked, head between what he still considered the sweetest titties in the state, no matter what state they were in.

"The lube."

Daryl nearly dropped her on her ass right there on the deck. Finally he fumbled her onto her feet, seeming to have sobered up a couple levels as he looked down seriously.

"So what're ya sayin?" he asked, only halfway hiding his hopefulness. Amber rolled her eyes.

"I'm saying you have been very patient with your back door play, and we've progressed to the point I want to go all the way."

Now it was Daryl dragging her into the house, Amber stumbling behind him laughing. He kicked the door shut behind them and then sat down on the bed, pulling her into his lap.

"Hey, look at me." he said tenderly, cupping her jaw to turn her face to his. This wasn't what she had been expecting. Instead of raving lust he was suddenly gentle, almost wary. "Ya been drinkin?"

"Nope. Promise."

"Smokin weed?"

She sighed. "No Desperado. I'm stone cold sober. I decided I wanted this before we left home, okay?"

Daryl nodded. He really had been patient. For the last year he had been working her out slowly and at times it had been a two steps forward one step back process. She was tiny EVERYWHERE and all it took was a couple days away from the area and they would be back to square one. Just in the last week he had gotten her to be able to take two well lubed fingers up to his knuckles. The important thing to him wasn't that she just took them without injury, she had taken them and ENJOYED it, in fact begging for more. He had told himself from the beginning that he would take her ass when and only when she could enjoy it too.

He reached behind her, undoing her bra before throwing it to the side and then shrugging off his leather. It was followed by his own shirt and he nudged Baby Girl to stand between his legs. He traced sweet kisses around her navel before slipping her short gymshorts down her legs, her string bikini panties joining them a second later. He looked up at her, hands sliding up over the back if her legs, over the cheeks of her ass and then back down again.

"I won't never hurt ya, really hurt ya, Baby Girl. I swear." he murmured.

"I know, baby."

He laid his cheek against her stomach, his scruff causing gooseflesh to rise like always. "I'll make it good for ya, I promise. An if ya need me ta stop I will, no matter when."

"I KNOW, Daryl." she said firmly, pressing back on his shoulders. He slowly fell back on the bed, letting her take the lead for the moment. Baby Girl motioned him back and he pushed back fully onto the bed as she rummaged in her backpack for a minute, setting the bottle of lube on the nightstand for when it was needed. Then she climbed up to straddle him, kissing his mouth before heading south. Daryl groaned when she got to his nipples, her teeth and tongue alternating between the two, her fingers picking up the slack. His girl had always played that to her advantage. Then she went lower, mouth placing open mouthed kisses down his happy trail as her hands worked his belt. He fought to not squirm like a little pussy under her. Yeah he was excited about getting in her ass, but he wouldn't mind having that fantastic mouth of hers for a little while first, not one bit.

Then Daryl was free and he toed off his boots, hearing them thud on the floor as they fell off the bed. He lifted his ass as she pulled his jeans and boxers down and off. Then it was just them, better than any sex toy ever thought of. Amber wasted no time, licking a wide stripe from the base of his cock to the tip, then dancing her tongue around the head. Daryl fisted her hair, pushing her down with a grunt of satisfaction. He hated (LOVED) when she fucked around like that before sucking him, it drove him nuts.

Baby Girl's mouth engulfed him, taking him all the way into her throat. She had practiced plenty in the last year, much to Daryl's delight. He jerked when his head bumped her throat, her lips wrapped around the very base. He couldn't resist pushing up on his elbows and looking down in the dim moon light pouring in the window, watching her work him. She bobbed a couple of times before taking him deep again. She looked up at him and he could have sworn he saw a smile crinkle her eyes

Then he had no doubt she had smiled, because then he felt her FUCKING SWALLOW around his head. Her throat muscles contracted around his most sensitive parts and he jerked like he'd been shot.

"FUCK!" he roared, snatching her off him by her hair. He lay there for a second, trembling with his eyes slammed shut and teeth gritting as he willed back the orgasm. Finally he gathered himself together enough to talk. "Jesus, girl! Did ya not learn ya lesson about that shit last time?!"

The last time had been a couple weeks before and what had started out as some foreplay head in anticipation for the main event had ended quickly with him shooting his load down her throat. Daryl may be the one usually dominating in bed, but they both knew Baby Girl owned his ass when it came to sucking his dick.

"Sorry, babe." she said before kissing his now throbbing and purple head that had popped out from between her lips a moment before. "I was just trying to make sure you were good and hard."

"Good and hard?" he snorted, tugging on her hair to tell her to crawl up him. "Trust me, me bein hard ain't gonna be a problem." When she was fully against him Daryl kissed her deep, forcing himself to wait just a little longer. He let his fingers travel to between her legs, stroking and flicking just enough to bring her to the edge, the leg she now had hooked over his hip trembling. But instead of letting her go over he dove two fingers into her pussy, fucking her with his hand until she got close again. Then he withdrew them, Amber shaking her head against his chest where it now rested.

"Daryl..." she pleaded.

"Hush." he said, turning her to her stomach with a hand on her hip. "Ya said ya trusted me."

When she lay on he stomach he rested on his side beside her, reaching behind him for the lube. He lay it on the bed for the moment, directing her to tuck her knees up under her with a hand on her thigh. Then he whispered "Good Girl", the words making her shiver as she lay there relaxed, head on her arms and eyes closed, her thighs spread and bottom raised so he could take her however he wanted. He lay there, head propped on one hand as the other smoothed down her back, just enjoying her curves and softness for a minute.

Then she felt him shift on the bed, coming up on his knees beside her and heard the snick of the lid of the lube. Then it was the cool slick on her backside as his fingers pressed against her. They just rubbed at first, swirling around the tighter of her holes. Daryl continued this until he was satisfied she was relaxed enough and then he pushed one middle finger in slowly. Amber sighed, she was familiar with this and knew how good it could feel. He continued to stroke her back with the other hand, occasionally dropping sweet kisses along her wings as he worked his way into her ass. Then the second finger joined the first, Baby Girl pushing back against his hand.

"More..." she keened.

"Ya like that don't ya?" he asked, already aware of the answer. When she nodded he pushed a third in. He met some resistance, this was more than the tight ring of muscles had allowed yet. He saw her wince, just for a second, and stilled his motion. Amber shook her head.

"No, don't stop. It's not a bad hurt."

"Ya sure?" he asked, dropping his head to her shoulder.

"Yes, please."

At those words he started moving again, working her, stretching her as best he could. Three fingers was still nowhere as big as his dick and he was so damn scared of really hurting her.

"Jesus, yer still tight as fuck." he muttered under his breath, knowing the only way to do it was just getting it over with. He could only prepare her so much. He withdrew his fingers and she whined.

"No..."

"S'alright, Baby Girl. Yer as ready as yer gonna be."

She nodded and lay her head back on her arms, closing her eyes. Daryl decided he loved her like that, so open and trusting him not to hurt her. He positioned himself behind her, using the lube on his own member, hissing when the cold hit the hot flesh. Then he put one hand on one of her ample ass cheeks, holding her open a little so he could use the other hand to glide the head of his cock over her puckered hole. She tensed a bit and he stopped the motion, taking his hand off her ass for a minute to stroke her back again.

"Still me, Baby Girl. Ain't gonna hurt ya." he assured her, the tension falling away. He moved his hand back to her ass, resuming his motion. He stroked his head over and over her, despite his member screaming at him to "just fuck her ass already!" Finally he felt what he had been waiting for, that tilt and push of her hips back against him as her asshole flexed just a tiny bit against him.

She was asking for it.

He gripped her hip firmly then, hand still guiding his cock as he pressed in. Even with her wanting it her muscles resisted, Daryl having a moment that he thought it just wasn't going to work. But then they both felt the "pop" as his head pushed inside her and her hole gripped tightly just below.

"Fuck." he breathed out through his clenched teeth, barely keeping his hips from thrusting forward. "Ya a'ight?"

"Nnnnnngggggg..." was her only groaned reply as she nodded her head.

"Keep goin?"

*Nod*

Daryl pressed forward, slower than slow, torturing himself to keep from hurting her. He had never felt anything like it, even that time before with whatever her name was. He has worn a condom then and now he was bareback, feeling everything. Baby Girl's pussy was always warm, so was her mouth when on his dick, but her ass, damn. It was HOT, the heat brain melting. And despite the lube there was so much more friction. It was like her body couldn't figure out if it wanted to push him out or pull him deeper, so her insides just gripped and rolled around him. After what felt like days he finally seated his hips against her ass. He dropped his head for a minute, hands moving over her wings.

"You good?"

Her only answer was a whimper and his heart dropped. God, had he been so intent with his own pleasure that he didn't realize he was hurting her?

"Baby Girl?" he asked, preparing to pull out. Before he could her hand shot down her side, digging her nails into the side of his thigh.

"Don't!" she gasped. "It doesn't hurt the bad way. You've just gotta move baby, you're killing me being still like that."

Daryl obliged, giving a slow half thrust. They both groaned at the feeling, her hand falling away from his leg to tuck back under her head. He looked down at where he was working in and out of her and had to bite his lip, the tweak of pain keeping him from coming right then. It was better than he had imagined. He knew Baby Girl wasn't a virgin the first time he was with her that night on the pond in the bed of the truck. That was fine, it wasn't like he was one either. But he would be the only man she had from now on. And her ass would be his and his alone, the only man to ever have his sweet girl that way.

"Good Lord, ya feel s'good." he muttered, now developing a decent rhythm. He knew the only reason he had held it this long was the considerable amount of alcohol coursing through his veins. But it wouldn't be long and she had to go before he did.

Daryl leaned forward, hard chest against her wings, his hand slipping around and between her legs. He was surprised to find her own wet already dripping, pussy quivering against his fingers. He grinned against the side of her neck, both their bodies now sweat slick.

"Little girl likes me in her ass, don't she?"

She nodded. "So full, baby. God, so good."

He turned his wrist so he could dive two fingers into her pussy, letting his motion from behind drive her clit into the heel of his hand. She was already close and it just pushed her over the edge. Somehow Daryl ended up braced on his forearm next to her head and she turned and bit the FUCK out of him instead of screaming since the house was full. Daryl wasn't really concerned though because he honestly thought he was dying for a second.

He had wondered briefly how she would feel when she came like this, with out the tell tale flood of wet her pussy always gave him. He wouldn't wonder anymore. Just before she bit him that brain melting heat inside her ramped up until all he felt was hot and then pressure, holy god. He just thought her pussy slammed down around him. Her ass clamped around his cock so tightly that it actually hurt for a second and then the pain led to pleasure so great he held his breath, mouth open against her shoulder as his body slammed into her and then curled around her so tightly she couldn't move, could only whimper into his skin that was between her teeth.

Daryl only came back to himself when his softening cock fell from her body, making overworked nerve endings yell in defiance. He jerked and then groaned, realizing he was still curled around Baby Girl. He took his weight off her carefully and straitened her legs out from under her, knowing they had most probably overworked the right some.

"Feel alright?" he asked, hand kneading one ample ass cheek.

She nodded sleepily, snuggling over into his chest.

"Thank ya, Baby Girl."

"Anytime, Desperado." she said against his chest.

"Anytime?"

"Don't push your luck."

They both laughed low in the darkness.

"We need ta get in tha shower, wash some a this Slick-50 off we got all over us."

She got the giggles then, looking up at him. "God, I love you, you romantic you!"

He rolled his eyes. "I love ya too. Shower. Now. And I'm gonna help ya with the hard ta reach parts."

He was nothing if not helpful.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

Daryl rolled over with a groan, head pounding. He wasn't quite as hung over as he had been after his bachelor party but he still didn't feel great. His mood further soured when he realized he was in bed alone. And that he wasn't in his bed. He tensed for a moment but then remembered, Texas, the rally, oh yeah. He stretched then, taking note of the light that was filtering in through the shades. It didn't appear to be early morning, maybe not morning at all. A quick glance around the room found a clock high on one wall, saying that he had slept to the ungodly hour of eleven thirty.

"Shit."

He rolled out of bed, choosing to forego a smoke until he could find a particular pretty mouth to light it for him. He remembered then what exactly he had done with some other parts of that pretty body the night before. Her ass had been spectacular, and then they had showered and he made love to her before they dozed off. He jerked some clean clothes out of the drawer Amber had designated as his and pulled his boots on, slipping his leather on before walking in the bathroom. A quick brush of the teeth and he ran his hand through his sleep rumpled hair, glad Baby Girl liked his scruff the way it was. It'd really piss him him off to have to shave every day, especially complicated shit like Barry's long biker mustache or Norm's whole head.

Daryl followed the smell of breakfast out the door to the deck, stopping for a minute to admire the view of the creek. He and Merle needed to dig the fishing poles they had brought from the farm out of one of the crash trucks and see if they could catch everyone some dinner. Some fishing sounded like just the thing.

Then he meandered around the side of the cabin, noticing that most of his brothers looked a little worse for wear too. Barry was sitting on the front steps of the cabin, thanking Deb for the coffee she handed him while looking at her with bleary eyes. Daryl gave him a nod as he made his way across the yard to the fire pit. Merle must have just stumbled out the door to sink into one of the rockers that was on the porch. Beth was digging aspirin out of her purse for him, while he moaned about his head. Merle was always a pussy when he was hungover. In fact, the only one that looked decent in their group was Norm. He leaned against the far end on the porch, smoking and appearing wide awake, almost fidgety. That didn't make sense. Sarge should have been hugging the toilet after drinking more than the Dixons had the night before combined. He met Daryl's eyes and that was all wrong too, his were too dark. Daryl just shook his head and headed to the firepit. This was his vacation and he wasn't going to spend it worrying about everybody else's shit. He and Baby Girl were fine and that was all that mattered this week.

He spotted a familiar color and followed it to the opposite side of the fire. Amber was bent over, stirring eggs in a huge iron skillet that was suspended over the fire. She was wearing a pink tank top and a pair of short cutoffs. He knew she probably wore the shorts to get a rise out of him but this was camp, full of family, and honestly he was glad she felt comfortable enough to wear something that would show her scar. He knew what that took.

As she stood he slipped in behind her, sliding his arm around her waist.

"Mornin." he murmured against the top of her head.

"Good morning, Demon. How are you feeling?"

"Like grilled dog shit."

She giggled and elbowed him, nodding toward one of the camp chairs a few feet away. "Sit down. I'll bring you some breakfast and some aspirin."

He did, gulping down four pills with the coffee she brought him. Then he got a plateful of his own remedy, eggs, bacon, and toast. Daryl was only a few bites in when he started to feel markedly better. He relaxed into the chair, looking around the campsite. They needed to do this shit more often. Everyone in the club had been too stressed lately, himself included. After breakfast he and Merle could do some fishing, then hit a couple of the bike shows just up the road. The he would take Baby Girl shopping (just to make her happy) and then maybe hit the bars again tonight after supper, this time WITH his girl.

He was halfway through a bite of bacon when something caught his eye. Norm was still leaning on the porch, now staring intently across the yard. A smirk crossed his face and then he adjusted his pants, still not hiding the large erection he had going on. Daryl rolled his eyes. Jesus, Amber was right, old people needed to stop that shit. He followed Norm's line of sight, expecting to find Kaye bent over the cooler with her tits hanging out or just sitting there talking with someone. With Sarge and his old lady it didn't take a whole lot to get them started. Finally Daryl found the Angel Sarge was looking at, but it sure as HELL wasn't Kaye.

Baby Girl.

Daryl dropped his fork, taking a half second to confirm he wasn't mistaken, that Norm wasn't looking at someone else. He had matured enough in the last year to make sure of shit before he lost it. But it was Baby Girl, the woman Sarge had helped RAISE, that he was looking at, now with his head tilted a little as if trying to get a better view up her shorts as she bent over the fire, scraping the last of the eggs into her father's plate. She might have well been his own DAUGHTER and the sick fuck looked like he was just about to fuck her in front of the whole camp.

Daryl lunged out of his seat and was halfway across the yard before his plate hit the ground, hardly hearing the obscenities and threats that were pouring out of his own mouth. He had only one thought in his now rage soaked mind.

Not that this was the man that had taken him and Merle in almost as a father.

Not that they had saved each others lives countless times over the two years.

Or even that he had been his best man at the wedding.

Just one thing...

Norm Black was a dead man.


	3. Rally Pt 2 (Repentant)

**Yep! Norm has MAJOR issues right now. Thank you all for your love and support! This universe grows day by day!**

"YOU SICK FUCK! I'M GONNA KILL YOU! KEEP YOUR GODDAMN EYES OFF MY WIFE!"

Norm didn't hear much after that, Daryl's fist connecting solidly with his jaw. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, looking up in a daze as what looked like half the charter was struggling to hold back Daryl. He was pretty sure he had just lost a couple of seconds or more of consciousness.

Nobody else lost any time though, even if they wished they could. The moment Daryl hit Norm he had been pulled back by Merle and Barry, Viper, Ram and some others coming over from their cabin next door as soon as they heard the noise. They separated the men quickly, knowing what a subordinate attacking an officer in broad daylight meant. What had happened was a personal dispute, but that wouldn't matter to DEMONS from other charters who didn't know the men. All they would see was an enforcer attacking a SAA, which was a major breach of rank. Daryl would be beaten, possibly worse, and then lose his patch before they could be stopped.

Merle had seen Norm looking too, Barry coming in in enough time to see what was going on. Merle now had Daryl in a choke hold, telling his brother to hold his shit, what the consequences were.

"FUCK MY PATCH! FUCK ALL Y'ALL!"

Daryl obviously wasn't concerned with the politics of the matter. The women were all frozen in place, Amber looking on from the fire pit, Debra a few feet away on the porch steps, Beth just behind and Kaye in the front door. Barry leaned over Norm, offering him a hand up. He took that as a sign his president was on his side.

He thought wrong.

"What the hell is going on?" Barry asked, trying to give his friend the benefit of the doubt.

"TELL'EM!" Daryl raved. "TELL'EM HOW YA WAS PRACTIC'LLY BEATIN OFF WHILE YA LOOKED AT BABY GIRL! MOTHERFUCKER!"

"SHUT UP!" Norm raged back, the coke that swirled around his brain clouding his judgement. "Wouldn't NOBODY be lookin at her if you didn't let her walk around with her tits and ass hangin out like some whore..."

Norm's voice stopped the instant the word fell out of his mouth. He knew he had crossed a line with his whole family then. He had used the one word that was off limits regarding Amber, the name Le Mechant and the man who had raped and nearly killed her had called her. Daryl raged again, now roaring wordlessly as he struggled, nearly getting away because Merle had let him go. Merle himself was cracking his own knuckles, eyeing Norm like he wanted a go at what was left once his brother got done with him. But that didn't concern Norm anymore. They could release them both on him, let them beat him into the ground. He deserved it.

He watched Amber's face crumple from across the yard, then she took off running as best she could towards the back of the house where the entrance to her and Daryl's bedroom was. Beth was right behind her, Deb giving Barry a look before she followed. Norm knew that look, she was telling her husband to "handle this shit, NOW". Before Norm could look behind him for Kaye, Barry's thick fingers were around his throat, pinning him to the porch.

"You listen and listen GOOD you coked up fuck!" the man he considered his brother hissed in his face, low enough that the other's couldn't hear. "Yeah, that's right, I KNOW. You don't think I keep tabs on that shit, especially when my SAA acts like he's one snort away from the damn moon? The ONLY reason I don't gut you right now is your old lady is watching. With my seat, I could do it and the boys could spread your body from here to home and NOBODY would mourn you the way you are right now. So I suggest you get SOMEWHERE far away from me, my daughter, and her husband and come down some before you try to make this shit right. LAST. CHANCE. MOTHERFUCKER!"

He released Norm, pushing him towards his bike. He stumbled to it, not even looking at the scene that was left as he roared away, to ride around the block and give everyone time to disperse.

To everyone's surprise, Amber came out before he even topped the hill, now dressed in a modest pair of capris and one of Daryl's tees. The men had pulled Daryl down onto the ground but he still bucked and fought to get on his own bike and follow his SAA. She walked over and they parted, knowing she was the only one he would listen to. She fell to her knees next to his chest, opposite Merle who was trying his best to keep his brother from making a mistake.

"Baby, stop. Please!" she choked out, hands going to his chest. He thrashed for a second more but then seemed to recognize her, body stilling as he pushed up on one hand. He jerked out from Merle's grip to grasp Amber to his chest as she sobbed "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." over and over again.

His own eyes were dark now, but not from coke. This was hate, pure and simple. He held her tight to him, murmuring. "Ain't your fault, ya didn't do shit. He's fuckin crazy. An he's about ta pay."

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

It was early evening now, mostly everyone who had witnessed the fight had decided to stay close to the cabin. Except of course for Kaye, who was now god knows where after she had Merle drop her off in town. Norm drove up on his bike finally, Daryl growling and going to rise when he walked to where he, Baby Girl, Merle, and Beth sat around the fire. Merle put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, shaking his head.

"Probably comin to say he's sorry bro. Won't try nothin in front of everybody."

"Fuck sayin sorry." Daryl spat but Amber put a hand on his leg.

"No. I want to hear what he has to say."

Norm walked up, eyes on the ground, standing carefully several feet away from the woman he had wronged. She noted his hands were shaking as he lit a smoke. "Baby Girl, can I..."

"Don't call her that. Not no more." Daryl snarled.

He nodded. "Amber, can I talk with you for a minute? Please."

She looked over at Daryl who shook his head. She whispered back. "I'll stay inside the light from the fire. He won't do anything. Baby PLEASE. He's SICK." She looked to Merle for help, knowing he would realize exactly what kind of sick she was talking about. He sighed, directing his speech to his brother but making sure it was loud enough for Norm to hear.

"I'm right here with ya bro. He even breathes on Lil' Sugar wrong and I'll hold him down while ya cut his throat."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at Norm. "Stay where I can see ya. And don't even try ta touch'er."

"Fair enough." he answered, waiting until Amber rose to walk to the outside edge of the firelight. They walked in silence for a minute, until on the opposite side of the fire from the Dixons, though those two pair of blue eyes never left them. Amber crossed her arms, looking at the ground as they walked.

"What are you doing?" she asked, the deeper implications of the question clear.

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he flicked the ash of his cig away. "Dunno, girl. I'm all fucked up."

"Yeah, we noticed."

They walked a little more before he spoke again. "I'm sorry. You know I don't look at you like that."

"That's not what Daryl and Merle saw today. What are you on?" her question was plain and he looked away, not wanting her to see his eyes. He hadn't been expecting her to call him out.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. This isn't you. Norm, you RAISED me. Looking at me like that is almost like you looking at ELLA like that!"

Norm's face rocked back like he had been slapped. He returned to look at her, the black flashing in his eyes. Amber took a step toward him, drawing herself up to her full five feet as she glared back. This evil might be destroying the Black household, but she wouldn't let it near the Dixon one. He was the one that looked away first, shamefully dropping his head.

"What is it? Coke?" she asked again.

"What makes you think that?" he asked warily, sitting on a log just inside the firelight.

"Because I've seen you drunk, it's bad but not like this. Most of us in the club smoke weed at least every once it a while. It mellows you, plus going without doesn't give you the shakes. Coke is the next thing that you have easy access to."

Norm looked down at his hands, noting the tremors. "You're smart, girl."

"You are too. Smart enough to know you're about to lose everything."

"I'm fuckin TRYIN! But there is shit going on in the club..."

"Daryl told me the Irish..."

"Daryl DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING!" Norm's voice rose on the last words, causing Daryl to lean forward on the other side of the fire. Amber put her hand up in his direction, shaking her head.

"WHAT is going on?" she asked, keeping her tone low.

"I've reached my fuckin LIMIT. That's what. What am I supposed to do? Without the coke I can't do the shit I gotta do."

"WHAT? I know about the club, you and daddy kill people. Daryl has too. I GET that!"

Norm shook his head. "Look, this ain't what I came to talk about. I'm sorry okay? I swear, I won't ever do that shit again, look at you like that. I just started thinkin about how you looked like Kaye some and it happened. I'd never put my hands on you."

Amber nodded with a sad smile. "I know that."

"And what I said, that name. I'd do anything to take that back. I know you aren't like that. And I wasn't even thinking about all that shit before." he flicked his cigarette butt into the fire. "I was tryin to cover my own sorry ass."

"I forgive you. But I'm not really the one you need to apologize to."

He met her eyes, "Daryl ain't talkin to me right now."

Amber shook her head and rose, looking into the fire. "I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about Kaye. And the fact that you didn't realize it scares me." She turned to look him in the eye, "Go make peace with your wife, Norm. Before you lose it all."

Then she walked away, leaving him wondering when the little girl he had helped raise grew up.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU 

The rest of the week passed with much less turmoil. Barry and Deb stayed with Norm and Kaye, while the Dixons and their wives stayed to theirselves. Amber's parents hated to lose the time with the others but Barry saw it as his duty to keep Daryl and Norm separated. It was hard enough watching Norm with his wife. Kaye refused to wear her property patch, only touching Norm during the day when they were on the bike. At night the whole house heard them fucking but it almost sounded like a put on, like it was loud on purpose.

Daryl and Amber spent their week the exact opposite. He practically cocooned himself around her and she let him. Baby Girl knew he took a lot from her physical affection, including how it calmed his nerves. He went almost nowhere without her. When Daryl sat, he more often than not pulled her into his lap. Gone was the man from two years ago who eschewed affection. He saw Baby Girl as being threatened (whether the threat was real or imagined) and for Daryl that meant he had to keep her close.

At night he reveled in her body, loving her deep into the night. Daryl had once seen Norm as the type of man, the type of husband he wanted to be. Now he just saw him as the exact thing to avoid. The man had closed out his wife, his whole family. Daryl had just found Baby Girl and the others that loved him. He would never push all that away and lose it now.

Daryl told himself that anyway.

They pulled up to the house on the pond late on a Saturday night, a week after they left. Sugar was still at her Mamaw's so it was strangely quiet, Daryl locking the door behind them. He would go to the clubhouse in the truck the next day to get their bags. Right now what Baby Girl needed was rest. The last two days she had been dead on her feet, so much so that he had been afraid she would doze off on the ride home. Her body had apparently still not recovered fully from the stomach virus. He made his way into their bedroom, fully prepared to tell her to get her ass in bed. Instead he found her already there, flopped crossways on her stomach, boots still on. He slipped them off her feet and undressed her, Amber not even rousing when he turned her body the right way and slipped her under the covers. He undressed then himself and lay curled around her, relieved when he didn't find the fever that had burned her up over a month before. He had two weeks until club runs picked up again and had to make sure she was well by then. Ever since she had woken up from the coma so long ago he had worried in the back of his mind about her health. Mortal enemies could be fought with knives, bullets, and the bow. But remembering how she looked in that hospital bed, a breathing tube down her throat, hanging between life and death? That made him feel powerless.

This sick shit had to stop.


	4. Sick and Scared

**Major angst ahead guys! Please keep those wonderful reviews coming.**

It was their first run after the rally and it was obvious none of them wanted to be doing this shit. Merle kept thinking of things that needed to be done on the farm and texting Beth to remind her. Daryl was still getting used to his brother being work oriented for the first time in over forty some odd years. It's amazing what a bit of ownership can do for a man. Daryl and Norm were still tense around each other, despite Norm's campfire apology. Barry busied himself running interference between the two.

The situation of the run wasn't helping matters any either. They were escorting a shit ton (technical term) of fully automatic weapons that Daryl was pretty sure were illegal in the states unless you were military. Then Daryl had spotted two bows identical to the kind he carried in the back of the load, when he questioned Norm about it he snapped at him, telling him to keep his eyes and mind on the road. They were all happy to get it loaded in Macon and then head north, to the drop off in Dalton. It wasn't lost on any of them that this was the same route they had taken the night they were arrested by Shane. It was still sunny though after the drop off, this being an odd day time run, which had ramped up everyone's nerves. Riding through metro Atlanta with a load of contraband is a lot less nerve wracking when you are under the cover of darkness.

They pulled into a rat hole of a Mexican restaurant right after dropping of the load around five. They were all famished after all day on the road and were looking for something quick and easy. As soon as they were seated four beers were ordered, Daryl pulling his phone out.

_You alright?_

He sent the text, setting his phone down in front of him. His food arrived before Baby Girl texted him back.

_Im fine._

He scowled at his phone, setting down his forkful of enchiladas to dial her and put it to his ear. The three other men shared a look. They all had the same agreement with their Angels. No actual phone calls unless something is wrong at home. Only quick texts to check in during stops.

He didn't give her much of a greeting, at least from what the DEMONS heard.

"Yer lyin. Don't ever take ya that long ta answer. Try again."

After a minute of listening he sighed, pressing his hand to his eyes. "Yer goin to the doctor Monday." He began to chew at his thumbnail, his worry obvious to the others. "We have give it time. Ya shoulda been better by now. Everybody else shook it already, even yer Maw."

Norm and Barry shared a look, Merle oblivious as he tucked into an order of tacos.

"A'ight. I'm fuckin serious. Yer goin Monday." he looked around the table before dropping his head and his voice. "Now, Ain't no reason ta get upset, Baby Girl. Just worried about ya, a'ight?...I love ya too. Be home in a couple hours. Go rest and see if ya can at least keep some Gatorade down or somethin."

He hung up, unaware that he was being stared at by the two elder DEMONS as he started back into his enchiladas. After a moment he glanced up, then giving them a confused look.

"What?"

"Something up with Amber?" Norm asked, trying to sound casual. He still fully expected Daryl to tell him Amber was none of his business. Daryl seemed to consider it a minute but then shrugged.

"Still can't shake that stomach bug we all had."

Norm and Barry both nodded slowly, their eyes widening. "Been almost two months ain't it?" her father pressed.

Daryl nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "It was like she got better for a while after she got those fluids. Then we went to the rally..." he gave Norm a pointed look, the older man with enough wisdom to look away until Daryl continued "and then she stays sick and tired all the time again."

"Sick and tired? All the time?" Merle asked, suddenly interested with a grin starting to curl at the corner of his mouth. Daryl looked back down at his plate to take another bite and Norm gave the elder Dixon a frown and a small shake of his head. Barry nudged Norm, asking a two word question.

"Mitch, right?"

"Yup, Mitch."

Daryl looked back up at the men, Barry scrubbing a hand over his face. The look he was giving him was indescribable. "The fuck's wrong with you?" asked Daryl.

Merle, big strong Merle Dixon, actually giggled, elbowing his brother. "He's probably tryin ta decide if he wants ta shoot ya or kiss ya right on the mouth."

"What tha hell do ya mean by that? Ain't my fault she's fuckin sick."

Merle burst out laughing then, even Norm snorted. Barry finally found enough composure to talk, looking over at their SAA. "Jesus, I ain't old enough for this."

"She's almost thirty."

"What the HELL does how old she is have ta do with it?" Daryl said, raising his voice, tired of being talked around while not being let in on what was so damn funny. Here he was scared shitless about Baby Girl and they thought it was FUNNY?

"Pay the bill, funnyman." Barry growled at Merle. He sobered up quickly, flipping a couple bills onto the table.

"The hell? I ain't done!" Daryl said, incredulous.

"Trust me, you are. We need to get you outside." Norm assured him, killing his beer.

"Why? You lookin ta fight again?" Daryl scowled. Norm rolled his eyes.

"Fuck no, kid. You're gonna need a smoke once your slow brain latches onto what's goin on."

Daryl followed them outside, mind racing a mile a minute. What WAS going on? And why was Merle acting like it was so damn funny?

They ended up on the concrete over hang of the restaurant, Norm and Barry lighting up as soon as they stepped out the door. Merle just leaned on one of the columns that held up the roof, arms crossed over his chest as he grinned like a cheshire cat. Finally Norm reached out and tapped Daryl's vest. "Light up."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at him. Since when did that prick tell him when to smoke? "I'm good."

"You ain't gonna be in a minute." Barry interjected. "Now light up, it's an order."

Daryl raised an eyebrow at him, but did as he was told. Whatever was going down must be bad, even though Merle was acting like an idiot. Maybe it was his brother that didn't have a grasp on the situation. As soon as Daryl's cig hit his lips Norm leaned against the building a few feet away.

"So, she got sick around the time we all did, couple months ago?"

"Yeah, ya know that."

"And she's sick again now? Started two weeks ago?"

"About."

"Exactly HOW sick was she before?"

"Jesus, Norm! Ya had it yerself. Pukin, shittin. Couldn't keep anything down, not even water. I had ta take'er ta the hospital for fluids for fucks sake!"

Their SAA looked at the other two men as if he was about to deliver a punch line or a death sentence. Then he looked at Daryl and sighed. "So odds are she puked up her birth control too?"

"Well, I reckon, I didn't..." Daryl stopped, his breath catching in his throat mid word. He looked franticly between the three men, Norm looking at him with his eyebrow raised, Barry sitting suddenly in a rocker, and Merle laughing so uproariously that he was clutching his sides.

"Ain't no fuckin way..." Daryl finally choked out. "We didn't fuck for at least a week after she was better." In his shock he had none of the usual embarrassment of his sex life in front of his father in law.

Norm shook his head. "Don't matter. Once that shit gets off you best use a rubber for the next month, maybe two. You know that blonde kid that hangs around my house, goes by the name Mitch? He's breathin cause my old lady got food poisoning at a club picnic. Upchucked her pills for a couple days and he came screamin into the world nine months later."

"But not for sure!"Daryl said, voice rising in desperation. "I mean, she's pukin and tired and cryin all the time and ...oh...fuckin...shit..." he felt the brick wall sliding up his leather as he slid down the wall. The smoke that had been dangling out of the corner of his mouth hit the concrete which was a shame.

Daryl suddenly felt like he could use one.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

It was everything Daryl could do to keep the bike upright during the hour ride home. It didn't help that Merle kept grinning like an idiot or that everytime Barry caught sight of Daryl he would roll his eyes. Daryl couldn't BELIEVE he had fucked up this royally. Everything was going fine and he does THIS? And Baby Girl was sitting at home miserable, maybe getting dehydrated again because he couldn't keep his shit straight? Her body was broken enough, there was no telling what this would do to it. The only thing keeping him going was that maybe she WASN'T. Maybe he would get home and he would ask her and she would tell him he was silly and that she had her period last week. Only he knew she didn't because they had sex every day last week. He honestly couldn't remember if she had had a period since the stomach virus. And that scared Daryl enough to make him want to puke. He would have known too. Amber wasn't down for period sex, especially when she was cramping, and when she did relent, it wasn't like you missed it.

He finally pulled into the driveway of the farm, refusing to look Merle's way as he rode the hundred yards ahead to his house. Daryl got the Scrambler into his yard as quickly as possible without laying it down on the gravel. He expected Amber to be laying on the couch with a Sprite like she had been for most of the last two weeks. But the couch was empty. Before he made it a foot inside the door he heard the retching from their master bath. It had been a noise he had been listening to for the last two weeks, all times of the day, usually from up close as he held her hair out of the way. Daryl immediately headed that way but took a momentary detour. He was standing in front of their calendar, looking for the little dots that Amber always put on the days she had her period. He felt a cold wave hit him when he saw none for the months of April or May. It was now June second. Then he heard a sniffle and his head snapped up.

Baby Girl was standing in the door from the living room to the hallway that led to their bedroom and she looked like hell. She had lost all the weight she had gained back and was wearing one of his shirts. Her hair was just jerked back in a pony tail, face a pale that had started to scare him a little over the last couple days. She just stared at him as he was propped on one hand next to the calendar, other hand pointing to the last day he counted.

"Daryl..." she said timidly, something he really hadn't ever heard from her mouth. He didn't mean for the words to come out like they did, Jesus, he really didn't. But all the frustration and fear Daryl felt himself just fell out of his mouth right there and then as he dropped one hand to his hip.

"Somethin ya wanna fuckin tell me?" Even to his own self the words sounded accusatory and hateful. It was something he would regret for a long time.

Daryl saw the shake begin in her shoulders, almost imperceptible but progressing to full body shudders. Only when her face broke did he realize she was sobbing. Amber's hands came over her face for a second and she looked so broken and little that Daryl automatically stepped toward her.

"Aw fuck..."

He was over to her in a couple strides and his hands reached for her upper arms. Before he could touch her he saw her body jerk and it took a second for him to see what it was. She had flinched from him, really afraid of him for the first time. Even after she woke up from the coma Baby Girl hadn't done that, not when she already knew it was Daryl reaching out to her. His brow knit and he looked down at his hands and then up at her.

"Girl? Really? Ya think I'd..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Her knees buckled and he saw the color drain from her face at the same time her eyes rolled back in her head. Daryl moved quickly, catching her behind her knees and upper back in the way he had always carried her, except this time her arms and head lolled loosely. He sank to one knee, moving a hand to her face. He was back there now, on top of that office building where he had willed Amber to keep breathing, to stay alive. He thought he had beaten death that day, snatched her back. But now Daryl knew that he had screwed up the best thing he'd ever had, his own fuck up would cost her everything.

Just as surely as he was a Dixon, this was going to take her away from him.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

Amber woke up less than five minutes later to a cold wet cloth on her forehead and Daryl on his knees beside the couch, hovering nervously. She saw the relief on his face when her eyes opened. But then he pulled out his phone.

"Callin ya mama. I'm takin ya ta the emergency room."

Amber shook her head and put her hand over the phone. "No, please. It's just because I haven't ate anything today."

Daryl started to tell her that hell yes he was taking her to the hospital. He was going to drag her there kicking and screaming if he had to. But then he saw the pleading look in her eyes, remembered how she had flinched away from him minutes before and he was defeated. The phone was put away, and he scrubbed a hand over his face.

"What do ya think ya could keep down?" he asked, voice full of exasperation. Amber threw her arm over her eyes as she thought.

"Crackers maybe? Just dry saltines. And a Sprite. I put one in the freezer just before you got home so it would be cold."

He returned with them after rummaging in the cabinets for a minute and she nibbled down a couple crackers and sipped about a third of the drink in the silence before relaxing back down on the couch. Daryl sat on the floor with his back against it at her waist, one knee drawn up with his arm thrown over it. Her color was already markedly improving by the time he spoke.

"How long have ya known?"

Her answer came so quickly that he knew it was the truth. "I still don't, not for sure."

"When did ya SUSPECT?"

"Right after the rally, when my period didn't come."

He nodded. "When was ya gonna tell me?"

"When I knew for sure. I took the truck and went bought a test while you were at the clubhouse checking in the new bow yesterday."

"Ya take it?"

"Not yet."

Daryl sighed and ran his hand through his hair before pushing up slowly from the floor. He held his hand out to her and she looked up at him with her brow furrowed until he spoke.

"Might as well take it. No use bein worried if we don't know. An if ya ain't then somethin else is wrong."

Amber followed Daryl into the bathroom, pulling the test from where she had hidden it in her makeup bag. She did what was necessary while he sat hitched up on the bathroom counter alternately chewing his nails and worrying his fidget band. Usually, she still would have balked at peeing with him in the bathroom but considering WHY she was peeing, that was the least of her worries. She set the stick on the edge of the counter and set her clothes to rights, moving to sit herself on the edge of the tub.

"How long we gotta wait?" he asked, out of his element.

"Two minutes."

Daryl pulled out his phone and set the timer, not willing to take any chances. It was the longest two minutes of his life, filled with sidelong glances at Baby Girl where she sat staring at the bathmat under her feet and moments of closing his eyes and sending up the closest he ever got to prayers.

_Please, don't let her be._

_Please, just let it be nothin._

_Please, her body cain't take anymore._

_Please..._

The timer on his phone went off, the noise making them both jump. He fumbled it off and then looked up at her and then glanced where the stick lay. It was one of the newer electronic tests, that had a readout of the actual words of the results. No lines or plus and minus signs to decipher. Amber slowly stood up and stepped over to Daryl's side, taking a deep breath before looking down at the test. He just watched her face, knowing it would tell him all he would need to know. After a bare half second of looking down she looked back up at him, eyes shimmering and her words cracking. Those words broke his heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry. I know you don't want this..."

Daryl slid off the counter, wrapping her in his arms as she pressed her face into his chest. He felt her body sinking to the floor and he went with her, pulling Amber between his legs to sit against his front, head buried in his shoulder as she cried, garbled apologies spoken against his shirt. Daryl went on autopilot, his brain processing it as best it could.

Baby Girl was SICK. She needed to go to the doctor. He needed to make sure she kept down food and fluids. He went into practical mode, unable to process the implications beyond the immediate needs of her health. Besides, just because she could get that way didn't mean she could stay that way. And that threatened with complications of it's own. Daryl found his hands stroking her hair and shoulders as he shushed her, using a tone he had only a handful of times in the last two years and never before then.

"S'alright, Baby Girl. Ain't yer fault, s'mine. I shoulda thought. Hush now, I ain't gonna let nothin bad happen to ya. Ya gonna be alright. We're gonna be alright."

He couldn't help but think the last part sounded like wishful thinking. After a minute he reached up to pull the test off the counter, having to see the concrete evidence. He stared at the digital letters for god knows how long before tossing it back on the counter, dropping his head to rest on top of hers, willing the smell of rain to calm him, to find peace somehow. How could one word, on a digital two inch screen, be so frightening, so fucking accusatory.

PREGNANT.


	5. Flicker and Phone Call

**Wow! Y'all reading Home Sweet Home? DAMMIT NORM! STAHP! Jeezum Crowe, men! Even our fictional ones can be so dumb!**

**I've got some writing to do to catch up with my spin off, yeah? Let's go!**

Daryl sat uncomfortably in the pink vinyl chair, fidgeting with the edge of his vest. Amber sat next to him, flipping through a magazine without even looking at the pages. They hadn't been in her gynecologist's office since six months previous when she had come in for her yearly appointment and birth control pills. After how she had to endure the exams after her rape he wouldn't let her go alone anymore, even for what were supposed to be routine exams.

"Mrs. Dixon." the nurse called from the door. He was up first, a hand on her elbow as she stood. It was Monday now, two days since he confronted her and the morning sickness wasn't any better. They had found out she could stomach fresh fruit in small regular quantities and had used that to keep from any more fainting episodes. She texted her mother and Kaye the news, a simple one line "I'm pregnant." and when the phone had started ringing she begged off, saying she was too sick at the moment to talk or receive visitors. She heard the excitement in their voices and wished she could allow herself to be the same. She wanted this baby so badly, planned or not. But Daryl was freaking and it scared her.

They made their way down the familiar pink hallway, the nurse motioning them into an alcove, taking Amber's vital signs as she sat. Daryl leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets as he looked at the floor. Then the nurse directed her to the small half bath across the hall, for the standard "pee in a cup". A few minutes later the nurse turned from her work station to address them, the official test in her hand.

"Congratulations! It's definitely positive!"

Amber gave her a small smile from where she now stood at Daryl's side, grasping his fingers in hers. His hand scarcely twitched back, eyes still on the floor. Then they were led to one of the rooms, knowing full well the drill by now. This room was a little different, obviously one of the obstetrical rooms. Next to the exam table, between it and the wall, was an ultrasound nurse left them and Amber stripped from the waist down. She then lay on the exam table covered with the paper blanket, curled up on her side facing Daryl. He sat in his usual spot, the chair to the side, elbows braced on his knees and head down.

"Hey." she said softly, fingers reaching out to brush his hair out of his eyes. "Say something, anything. I can't take you being quiet like this."

Daryl sighed and leaned back in the chair, leaning into her hand that was now brushing over his scruff. "What ya want me ta say?"

"Whatever. I know you're mad. But I feel like you hate me when you don't talk."

Daryl met her eyes, his own stormy. "Dammit, girl. I don't hate ya. Don't even say that shit. I ain't even pissed at ya. I know ya didn't do this on purpose. I'm fuckin SCARED. A'ight?"

Amber withdrew her hand, turning to lay on her back and stare at the ceiling. "Scared of what? Of being a..."

"No." he interrupted, not even willing to let the word drop out of her mouth. "Scared about you. Worried. This shit has only been goin on for two weeks and look at you! Cain't hardly eat..."

"Baby, it's morning sickness. Almost all pregnant women have it."

"More like fuckin all day sickness. And what about the other? Ya was ripped apart and this cain't be doin all that any good!"

"You heard them say at my last appointment that I was just as fertile..."

"Yeah, that you could get THAT way. But that don't mean ya SHOULD."

"Well, we're kind of already there, aren't we?" she said, a bit of bitterness dripping into her voice. What was he getting at? Surely Daryl didn't want her to consider...

A sharp rap on the door startled them out of the conversation, the nurse practitioner/midwife entering a moment later. She gave them a bright smile, setting her laptop on the counter.

"I hear some congratulations are in order!"

Amber gave her a weak smile, Daryl not moving from where he resumed his previous position looking at his boots. The midwife, with all her experience, took stock of the situation quickly and moved on to the usual perfunctory questions.

Yes, the morning sickness was bad. Yes, Amber was able to keep down a little bit of something. Yes, her breasts were tender. No, she hadn't had any spotting since her last period almost two months ago. No, she had no idea when she conceived since she was on birth control.

At that the midwife hesitated, her lips tightening. "Amber, this is really the toughest part of my job. By law, since this was obviously an unplanned pregnancy, I have to offer you a referral to a clinic..."

"No!" she interrupted, "Just no! I know what you're saying and I WANT this baby." Amber made sure to say "I" and not "we", hoping it would cause Daryl to say something, ANYTHING contrary to how he had been acting. He looked at her, eyes unreadable, but didn't open his mouth.

The midwife relaxed, obviously relieved. "Good. Now, let's do a quick vaginal exam before we move on. This won't be as difficult as the others, just a manual exam with no speculum. All I have to check is making sure your cervix is closed tight and your uterus is the correct size for your estimated dates."

The midwife got into place, Amber placing her feet into the pedals. Daryl took his place, propped on his elbows next to her head, despite the tension between them. The midwife was right, this time it was much easier, Baby Girl only wincing once during the whole thing. Daryl felt himself calm down a notch when it was over, no blood on the midwife's gloves as she threw them away.

"Everything looks good. Your cervix is tight as a drum and your uterus feels correct for this early stage of pregnancy."

"What about all the stuff from before?" Daryl asked, the first words he had spoken so far.

The midwife sighed, sinking down onto her stool as Amber sat up on the table to eye him carefully. She didn't know if this was a good sign or bad.

"Well, her vaginal scars are there, but hardly noticeable, not even a concern at this point. Like I said her cervix is closed tight like it should be. The bruising to that was resolved a couple months after her...injuries."

"Ya said 'at this point'. So shit can happen later?"

Amber glared at Daryl but the midwife answered without hesitation. "Obstetrics is one of the most inexact of all the medical sciences. I would LOVE to know exactly when to caution a patient and when to give hope. But I don't, so I do both with everyone. Yes, her previous injuries could complicate things. However, I have seen women who have had severe cervical tears from previous deliveries, CERVICAL tears, not vaginal like Amber's, the cervix is the actual tissue that holds the baby in, breeze through their next pregnancy like it was nothing, resulting in a healthy mother and baby. And I've had totally healthy women with no injury or illness either not able to conceive at all or be unable to carry to term."

"So what yer sayin is that ya don't know shit?"

"Daryl!" Amber interjected, her mouth dropping open.

"It's okay." the midwife shook her head at her, before returning her attention to Daryl. "No, what I'm saying is that I'm not a psychic. I understand you are worried about her health and that you want to know exactly what you need to do to keep her as well as possible. Fine, I can give you that. Right now, I'm not concerned with her nutritional intake. She'll leave with a prescription for prenatal vitamins but many women can't stomach them with morning sickness. Focus on fluids and whatever foods she can keep down. She needs to rest when she's tired but can do whatever activities she was doing before when she's not. Sex is fine as long as she's not spotting, in fact we believe it helps prepare the body for labor as well as relieving stress. That's the big deal right now. She needs to be as stress free as possible."

Daryl stared at her for a minute, as if letting her words sink in. Then he ran a hand through his hair as he sunk down into the chair. "A'ight. I can do that. Eatin whatever she can, drinkin. Rest when she needs ta. Keep'er happy and calm."

Amber released the breath she had been holding, the tension in the room lowered a bit. The midwife moved to the ultrasound machine, beginning to peck on the keyboard.

"Amber, since you were on the pill and we don't know when you conceived I need to do an ultrasound. Now don't get your hopes up, no great baby pics yet. At this early I'm just going to measure the gestational sack and we MIGHT get to see the flicker of a heartbeat. Don't worry if we don't, at this point we only see it in about a third of healthy pregnancies. And I can't do the scan abdominally this early, it'll have to be trans-vaginally." she saw the look Daryl gave her, he obviously knew what the last word meant. "No worries, the probe is no more invasive than the manual exam was, less so actually."

He still resumed his position next to Amber's head, trying to ignore what was going on between her knees underneath that damn napkin they always gave her to cover up with. She grimaced and he shot a look over at the midwife.

"Hey, chill." Baby Girl said, tugging on his vest to get his attention. "Just cold, that's it."

He gave her a terse nod and settled in on his elbows, watching her face as she watched the midwife's. Jesus, he loved Baby Girl so much. Feed her. Make her drink. Rest. Nothing going on to upset her. He had something to focus on now.

After a minute the midwife took a small calendar out of her pocket, skimming through the dates.

"Amber, it looks like you are six weeks and five days along. That would put your date of conception around here, approximately."

She showed her the calendar and Amber looked at it for a moment, deep in thought as her fingers tapped on the date in question. The she suddenly grinned wide, looking over at Daryl.

He was caught breathless, it was the first time she had really smiled since they returned home from the rally. Even with the weight she had lost and the paleness it made her so beautiful he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. After a moment he realized she was looking up at him expectantly.

"What?"

She motioned toward the calendar. "That date, Desperado."

God, just hearing her call him that steeled his resolve. He could do this, would do this for her. Only for her. He looked at the calendar and then shrugged. It was the Wednesday before they left for the rally that Saturday. Finally Amber rolled her eyes and then glanced toward the midwife, as if trying to figure out how to explain without embarrassing him. She decided to give him one word, halfway giggled out.

"Peaches."

He got it then. He gave her a small smirk back.

"Yeah, peaches."

Daryl wasn't smirking inside however. He just had given Baby Girl that smirk because he knew that's what she wanted, what she needed from him. He could give her what she needed, whether or not he felt that way for real. What he really felt like was going back to that day and kicking the shit out of himself, pushing himself out of that damn tree if that's what it took.

The midwife turned the computer screen toward them. "You're in luck. Looks like this little peanut felt like cooperating today."

Amber's head snapped over to look, Daryl's eyes following hers. The midwife pointed out a half inch blob in the corner of the screen. "That is the gestational sack, where your baby currently resides." she zoomed in a little on the picture, pointing out a tiny dash of white in the middle, flickering so fast Daryl couldn't have counted it if he had tried. She went on "And this is the heartbeat. Everything looks just fine."

Amber's hand came up, a fingertip tracing the flicker on the screen as the other hand came down to gently touch her belly. Then she looked up at Daryl, tears sitting on her eyelashes as she spoke excitedly.

"You see it, Desperado? You see?!"

This was a pivotal moment for Daryl. He could have chose to give in, to allow himself to fall in love just like Baby Girl had that second. He could have let it all go, and trust that he had no control, not over this. But the other choice was to just focus on the specifics, what he had to do to get through today, to get her through today and not acknowledge that there was now a third person in play. He could just go through the motions, do what was expected of him no matter what storms raged inside. It was how he had survived the first thirty four years of his life, the last two years a short reprieve. He found that old life so easy to slip back into. He had to choose...

And he chose wrong.

Daryl let his eyes slip down from the screen, taking Baby Girl's hand off her belly to hold it in his own. He kissed the tears off the corner of her eye as he murmured. "Yeah, girl. I see it."

He didn't know it then but that choice was not only going to ultimately leave his life hanging in the balance, but another's also.

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_Four days later, 2:43 a.m._

Daryl rolled over, taking his arm from around Baby Girl to fumble for his phone on the nightstand. He immediately tensed as he answered it, phone calls this time of night were never good.

"Yeah?" he said sleepily. After a second he sat up straight in bed, waking Amber up in the process. "Who the hell did it to her?... MOTHERFUCKER!"

Amber sat up, her eyes wild. "Who?" she mouthed at him.

Daryl told Barry to hold on a minute as he answered her. "Kaye. Her faced is all sliced up. Jesus, I'm gonna kill him!"

"Who...oh my god" she began to ask, then realization settling in as to who 'he' was. "Norm?"

Daryl laid the phone down, jumping up to start jerking on his clothes. "Hell yeah, he's a fuckin DEAD MAN! Cut her up where Martinez did..." he stopped his motion and gave her a sorrowful look. "he...he forced her too."

Amber put her hand over her mouth, already climbing clumsily over Sugar to get off the bed and dressed herself. She knew what 'forced' meant to Daryl. Ever since her attack he couldn't use the word rape.

She already had her jeans on by the time he put his hand on her arm. "Hey, ya ain't gotta go. Ya could stay here, ya ain't supposed ta get stressed..."

She looked up at him defiantly. "And I won't be stressed staying here? I'm going to the hospital with you. All the other Angels will be there."

He let her go, grabbing his truck keys from the nightstand as she pulled on a tee shirt and slipped on her shoes. They made their way quickly to the truck, headed to the hospital. Daryl's mind was racing, already strained from keeping himself in check since the appointment with the midwife. He had fallen asleep only minutes before being woken by the phone.

More than one DEMON had begun a descent into hell. And apparently their Angels were going to pay the price.


	6. I Ain't Your Boy

**I'm hoping this chapter is going to give everyone insight on what's going on in Daryl's head right now. Trust me, I want to write "Daddy Daryl" as much as you guys want to read it. But it's gonna take some huge stuff to get him there (if he ever does, y'all didn't think I was going to totally spoil that, did you?) The next few chapters are going to be "sink or swim" for our boy. **

**Thank you all for your reviews! Angst is so hard to write, but it makes the other parts of our story so much sweeter in contrast.**

Amber gingerly lifted Daryl's right hand from the bowl of ice water, wincing as she looked over the battered knuckles. Norm's beat down was the first time he had to beat one of his own brothers and she was checking his eyes for any signs of regret.

She had told him of the protocol as they left the hospital as the sun rose that morning. It had been years since a beat down of a DEMON for spousal abuse had been brought to the table of the mother charter. In the event a patched member laid hands on his wife, he would be beaten by a hand selected team of the five or six best fighters the club had. The only exception to the rule was if the woman was caught red handed while cheating (the rules weren't necessarily right, they just were what they were). The length of the beating would be decided by member vote. No weapons were allowed and the member was allowed to fight back.

She didn't have to ask how it went, Daryl's split knuckles told her enough.

"Was he conscious when you left?"

He sighed, tensing his jaw as she wrapped his hand. "Barely. Merle stayed. Ya daddy called the club doc."

"Who got pulled to do it besides you?"

"Merle, ya daddy, couple others."

"How long?"

"The max."

She knew that was ten minutes. "Here, let me look the rest of you over. Where did he hit you?"

Daryl shook his head. "He didn't."

Amber frowned. "Daryl, I've seen Norm fight. He's one of our best. He didn't hit you AT ALL?"

He met her eyes. "He didn't hit nobody. Just stood there and took it. I ain't never seen nothin like it, girl. Then as soon as we got him in he wanted ta call Kaye."

Amber put her face in her hands, propping her elbows on the kitchen island between them. "This is crazy. Why is everything falling apart for them?" she said, voice breaking at the last. Daryl moved around to her side, ignoring his wrapped hands to put his arms around her shaking shoulders. He spoke against the top of her head.

"C'mon, girl. Ya ain't s'posed ta be gettin upset like this. Ya need ta finish ya food too." He picked up the bowl of strawberries she was fixing when he had come in from the clubhouse and the glass of lemonade (she couldn't stomach plain water) the other arm around her shoulders. He led her to the living room, sitting in the recliner to pull her to sit sideways in his lap. He made sure she ate every bite, threading his fingers through her hair. Baby Girl had started looking better over the last few days. He started letting himself hope that maybe this would be alright. Maybe she would survive this, be healthy. Daryl wouldn't let himself think of the other. He just had to make sure he did everything right.

When she lay the bowl and glass on the end table behind them Amber went to stand but he pulled her back against him and laid the recliner back.

"Ya okay like this for a bit?"

She nodded, snuggling into his chest, one hand over her belly. They dozed off like that, his fingers still twisting her hair.

_He knew that voice, would know it anywhere. The last time he had heard it was inside his own head during the trip to Canada._

_"Done knocked'er up, eh boy? Just a fuck up all around ain't ya?"_

_Daryl had his back to the wall, blue painted sheetrock. He was shirtless, the coolness almost clammy against his back. His bed was against the far wall, the faded Hot Wheels sheets a dim reminder of Mama. She had slipped and bought them at a yard sale so Daryl could have something for his birthday. What was it? His fifth? Sixth? Had to be, she didn't live any further than that._

_I BURNED that fuckin place over a year ago. THIS AINT REAL!_

_Daddy stepped in front of him, Daryl noticing he had to be a grown up now because they were the same height. That gave him hope that he could stop this. He tried to bring his hands up, push him away. But nothing moved, he couldn't even flex the muscles in his arms. The fear that had frozen him decades before still hid in his dreams._

_"Ya thought ya was some kinda hot shit, didn't ya boy? Got ya a nice set up, plenty of money, tight piece of ass. Even ridin with them bikers like ya somethin special. Married the fuckin princess. But ya fucked it up."_

_Daddy took a step forward, now so close Daryl could smell him, sour sweat and cheap whiskey, stale cigars and filth. He was wearing only his pajama pants that he used to lay around in when he drank. Daryl had the sudden thought that if he touched him he would either puke in disgust or piss himself in fear. It wouldn't be the first time either one of those had happened in that room, not by a long shot._

_"Fuck off old man. I ain't you." Daryl heard himself growl._

_"Ya right. Ya know why? Cause ya weak. I SHOWED yore mama who was the boss from day one. Ya best take that little bitch of yers in hand soon. When that pup gets here it's gonna need ta be taught whose the boss too. Just like I taught you."_

_"I'd cut my own throat first."_

_Daryl's head rocked to the side, Daddy's hand as cruel as ever. Why couldn't he FUCKING MOVE?!_

_"Shut ya mouth, boy. Member how I told ya not ta tell our secret? Well, ya told. Told that little bitch in the hospital. Remember I told ya I'd kill ya. But I think I know one better. Ya gonna be jus like me. Gonna do ta her what I did ta yer maw. Gonna do ta that pup what I did ta you." He leaned in, his breath sickening. "Ever bit of it, just the same."_

_"NO!" Daryl screamed, willing his body to move, to push him away. "NO GODDAMN YOU! YOU'RE DEAD! YOU'RE..."_

"DEAD!" the word rung out in the living room, loud in the darkness. Amber rolled over on his chest, nearly startled out of sleep.

"Daryl?" she mumbled sleepily, turning her head to his, eyes still closed.

"S'alright, Baby Girl. Go back t'sleep." he muttered quickly, bringing his now sweat slick arms around her from where they had been striking out in front of them defensively. He waited until her weight was sleep heavy against him again before carefully sliding out of the chair. He grabbed the throw off the back of the couch and tossed it over her before heading to the kitchen. He pulled a beer from the fridge and opened it, taking a long pull. Daryl ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the counter willing the shaking from his body and the pounding from his chest. Dammit, he just wanted to sleep. That had been the first time he had ever had a nightmare while with Baby Girl. If she couldn't stop them, nothing could.

After he finished the beer he padded out to the bike barefoot, knowing the alcohol wouldn't be enough. He pulled the bag of weed out of his saddlebags and quickly rolled a joint. Sitting on the porch steps he smoked it, concentrating on the sweet smoke and the rhythm of the toke. Anything but the smell of sour sweat and cheap whiskey. As he burnt the last of the roach he dozed off, the burning ember falling from his fingers to die on the step below.

That's how Amber found him the next morning, head laying on his folded arms on the step above. He looked so much like a frightened lost little boy that she cried as she took the throw she had woken up with and threw it over his bare shoulders in the cool morning air. She had no idea how to help him, could only hope Daryl would grow to love the tiny seed he had planted in her instead of being afraid of it, afraid of the changes it would bring. She wasn't stupid though. She knew he was also afraid of who he would be, of who he would become. For the first time Amber wished Jeb Dixon was still alive.

Just so she could kill him again, slowly, for what he had done and was still doing to his son.

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_Three weeks later_

Daryl sat at the bar at the clubhouse, fiddling with the label on his fourth (or was it fifth?) beer of the night. He had come down here alone, to just have some time alone to sit and drink. Damn, at least here he could smoke. Amber was sensitive to the smell now, he had to go outside his own house to have a fucking cigarette. None of the clubhouse skanks had dared come close, not after the beatings Deb, Kaye, and Amber had dealt the last one to try that. It seemed like every DEMON who came up to him wanted to congratulate him on the news that was making it's way around the club. The look he gave them back sent them away, shaking their heads. So Daryl just sat alone for hours, slowly filling up the ashtray as he drained bottle after bottle.

He sensed someone sit down in the seat next to him and spoke without turning his head.

"Don't feel like talkin."

"Good." Norm answered. "Then let me."

Daryl turned to look at him, none too steady on his stool. He motioned to the soda that the SAA had just ordered. "Why don't you put some Jack in that and shut the fuck up? Or go snort ya a line, whatever yer doin these days?"

Norm closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fishin for a fight?"

Daryl snorted. "Ya done had ya ass beat by me and a few others a couple weeks ago. I reckon I could do it again myself."

Norm pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes. "I earned that one. And I'm still paying for it. I see you still ain't no better than you were when you came out to the junkyard last week."

Daryl shrugged, motioning the bartender for another beer. "Just loosening up Sarge."

"You need to go home to your family."

Daryl laughed bitterly. "That's funny as hell comin from the one that sliced up his old lady and forced his self on her. Don't talk to me about family."

Norm ran his hand over his head, taking a deep breath to keep from putting his fist in Daryl's face. That wasn't what he needed at the moment.

"Just wanted to let you know that part we ordered for your bike will be in week after next. It was backordered. I'll bring it out to your place and we can put it on in old man Dover's shop."

Daryl nodded. "Good. Guess we won't be bonding and shit, though will we?"

Norm shook his head. "She needs you right now. That baby needs you."

"I'm the last thing they need."

Daryl picked up his half finished beer and pulled some bills from his vest to throw on the bar. Norm stepped up to him as he turned to go. "Listen, if you want to talk, you know where I am. I know I ain't no role model, but I don't want you doing the same as I did."

Daryl's eyes darkened and his free hand clenched in a fist. "Ya sayin I'd do ta Baby Girl what ya did ta Kaye?"

"No, I'm saying you don't have to hit her to hurt her. You're doing that well enough by just checking out, boy." He lay his hand on Daryl's shoulder but he jerked away with a sneer.

"Don't fuckin touch me, old man. And I ain't your 'boy'."

He watched Daryl walk out to the parking lot, praying he'd make it home as drunk as he was. This had to stop. Norm might have very well lost the very best thing he ever had, his Angel. But he couldn't watch Daryl throw everything away too. The whole damn club was going to hell in a handbasket and the Sergeant at Arms, the one charged with keeping the order, was at the center of it all. The problems with the Irish, the Patriots, what he was hiding from Daryl, Daryl's problems with Amber and the baby, not to mention Norm's failures, it was all tangled in some GODDAMN MESS that had to be fixed and soon.

Or else the club, the very thing that made them family, was going to blow up in all their faces.


	7. Ignored and Overheard

**Like I said, the next couple of chapters are gonna be sink or swim for our boy. Trust me, we're gonna get there. Or somewhere anyway! These chapters have been plotted out since before Better Dig Two was finished.**

**Please Review!**

_Two weeks later, July 18, Amber is 13 weeks pregnant_

The heat in the kitchen was almost unbearable, even with the air on full blast. Amber was wearing as little as possible, a spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of short gym shorts. Over the last couple of days her lower belly had begun to curve out, making buttoning jeans out of the question. She traced the fingers of one hand over the little bump, smiling softly before she began sorting tomatoes with the other. The kitchen was full, this was the first wave of the crop and Amber had volunteered to handle it at their house, the big house already busy with other harvests. She already had two huge stockpots simmering on the stove of peeled and seeded ones that were going to be canned shortly.

Daryl walked out from their bedroom, hair wet from his shower. It was late afternoon and he had been in the fields all day. Now wearing a pair of ripped up jeans and a black wife beater, he slipped on his rattlesnake and skull ring and then pulled on his boots where they sat by the door.

"Norm is down at the shop waitin on me." he said, moving behind her and putting his arms around her shoulders.

"So you're just going to get dirty again?" Amber took one of his hands in her, giving it a squeeze before pulling it toward her belly.

"Naw." he answered, firmly pulling his hand away, grabbing one of the tomatoes from the counter. "Jus puttin that throttle on and I reckoned I go out for a bit." He released her from his other arm to salt the tomato and take a bite. He then leaned against the counter at her side, watching as she resumed her work.

"Clubhouse again?"

"Yes, girl. I won't be as late as I was last night."

"Is there a meeting tonight?"

"There gotta be one for me ta go?"

Amber shook her head, keeping her eyes on the red fruits in front of her. She wasn't going to cry, she refused. "Hey, I still haven't got to tell you about my appointment the other day. Since mama went with me, you didn't get to hear what they said."

Daryl shrugged. "They say ya was alright?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then that's all I need ta know." Daryl straightened up then, pulling her into his chest quickly and dropping a kiss on her head. "I gotta get down ta the shop. Don't get too hot, sit down if ya need ta. Don't move them damn pots by ya self. If they need moved call me and I'll run up here for a minute."

Amber nodded against his chest as he let her go. "I'm probably going to have to walk up to the big house in a little while anyway. I'm almost out of salt."

"Damn, did we not just buy three boxes?"

"That was before I made twenty seven quarts of pickles and all that sauerkraut."

Daryl gave a look to the five gallon bucket of fermenting cabbage that sat up under the counter. "Right. I'm gone. Call me if ya need me."

Then he walked out the door, leaving her alone. Well, not entirely alone, she thought, rubbing her bump again. But she definitely was feeling lonely, for the first time in two years. It was like even when Daryl was there, he wasn't. He was just going through the motions. Yes, he stayed concerned for her health, but didn't even acknowledge the baby's presence. Every time she tried to bring it up he would just change the subject, or find some reason to go to the shop, the fields, or the clubhouse. It had gotten worse since she had started showing, him refusing to touch anywhere near her stomach. Even their love making had changed. Of course it had slowed down dramatically with the morning sickness, actually coming to a screeching halt. But over the last week she had felt better, initiating some intimacy. Daryl made love to her, but it was quick, almost robotic. Yes, he had gotten her off and he had too, but it still left Baby Girl unsatisfied. They might have cum but they didn't connect.

Amber set her mind on her task, focusing on the qualities of each red orb. This one for soup, this one for sauce, lay that one to the side for tomato sandwiches at lunch tomorrow. She hoped that as her belly grew bigger Daryl would have to admit there was a person in their, their baby. He couldn't keep ignoring it. She had hoped that her starting to show would bring him around but it hadn't. Maybe when he felt it move, yeah, that would help.

She hoped.

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"How much I owe ya for it?" Daryl asked, opening up the box that contained the new throttle.

"I tell you what. You get a couple jars of that vegetable soup that I know Bab...Amber is up there canning in my hands and we'll call it even. Ain't like I'm gettin a whole lot of home cookin right now."

Daryl nodded in thanks, not back to where he could say it to the man. Norm picked up a wrench, making sure he had a good grip before he turned around. The shakes were almost gone but he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the boy again. The next few minutes were quiet, the only sounds the clang and clink of parts as they came off the bike and were carefully laid out on the greasy concrete of the shop. Finally, the older of the two cautiously spoke up.

"So how is she?"

Daryl kept his eyes on the bike. "Fine."

"Ella told me she had a doctors appointment. Said Deb went with her."

"Yup."

Norm sighed, handing Daryl another part as it came off the bike. Apparently he wasn't going to be capable of more than one syllable at a time.

"So why didn't you go?"

"Had work ta do here. Here, ya need a five eighths or a three quarter?"

Norm chose the correct ratchet out of Daryl's hand and turned back to the bike. "You and me both know old man Dover lets ya off for shit like that, no problem. Did ya even ask how it went?"

"Asked if they said she was alright. She said yeah."

"You ask about the baby?"

Daryl didn't answer.

"You do know it's a baby in there right? Part you and part her? Not an alien or a damn puppy?"

At the word puppy Daryl's head snapped around.

_When that pup gets here..._

"Shut up. Ain't none of yer business." Daryl said slowly as if in warning.

"You're right. Which makes it a damn shame that I know more about your kid than you do."

"What the hell do ya mean? Somethin wrong?" Daryl asked, brow furrowing.

"Nope. Just that they got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. Deb said Amber cried she was so happy. That she couldn't wait to tell you."

Daryl looked down at his boots, and then pulled his bandana from his back pocket to wipe his face. "Damn, it's hot as hell out here. I need a beer." He turned to head out of the shop, and stopped in the doorway, speaking without turning back. "C'mon asshole. Ya know Baby Girl keeps tea and all that other shit in the fridge too. She'll bitch if I leave ya down here in tha heat."

Norm followed him down the garden path down to the pond. Maybe this was Daryl's way of saying he was ready to talk this shit out. They could get their drinks, go somewhere outside, even back up to the shop, anywhere Amber couldn't hear and he could just get it off his chest.

When they stepped into the house through the kitchen door, the smell of cooking tomatoes hit Norm's nose, bright and pungent. Daryl took a quick look around seeing that the burners under the stockpots had been turned off and Amber's flip flops were gone from beside the door.

"She musta walked up ta her Maw's. Said we was almost outta salt." He surmised, pulling a beer out of the fridge and leaving the door open for Norm. He sidled over, taking a moment to consider his options. Coke was out, the soda as well as the white powdery kind. He had drunk so much Coca-Cola and coffee since getting clean that his kidneys started bitching every time he pissed. He finally drug out two pitchers, pouring equal amounts of sweet tea and lemonade in the glass Daryl had pulled down from the cabinet.

"The fuck is that?" Daryl made a disgusted face before taking a drink of his beer.

"It's called an Arnold Palmer." Norm answered, returning the pitchers to the fridge. "Don't knock it till you try it."

Daryl smirked at him, the first time Norm had seen him have some kind of positive reaction since the rally. The older man grabbed a seat at the kitchen table and Daryl did the same. They drank in quiet for a few minutes before Norm spoke.

"What's your problem?"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Great, we gonna braid each others hair while we talk about our feelins?"

"Fuck, kid, you can be such a prick. Besides," he ran a hand over his shaved head "you got enough to braid but it might be a little hard for me."

Daryl snorted but then became serious, peeling the label off his bottle carefully so he wouldn't have to meet Norm's eyes. "I'm fuckin scared, a'ight? Go ahead and laugh, call me a pussy"

"Don't guess I can. I was the same way. Damn, my own kids wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kaye bringing Amber around and making me realize I could do it."

"But I cain't." Daryl's words were so faint Norm almost didn't hear them.

"You're gonna have to here soon."

Daryl shrugged, staring out the window.

"You saying you don't want it?" Norm asked. "That you wanted her to get rid of it?"

"I'd be lyin if I said I didn't think about it. Not just because a me, but if the doc had said carryin it could kill her."

Norm groaned, running a hand over his head. "Jesus, kid. Please tell me you didn't say that to Amber."

Daryl scowled at him. "Course I didn't. I ain't stupid. I know how she feels about that shit. 'sides, ain't no need for her or it to pay for my mistakes."

"WHAT mistake? Loving your WIFE?"

Daryl pushed up from the table and began to pace. Norm had the feeling they were about to get to the meat of the matter.

"For not realizin how her gettin sick could fuck her pills up! For all of it! Damn, it's my job to keep her safe! And I CAINT DO THIS!"

"Why?"

"Ya seen my back Norm? Yeah? My daddy wasn't the fucking father of the year!"

"I'm guessing he wasn't the husband of the year either. You been doing that fine."

"With her help! And this bein a daddy shit...I just...there's shit ya don't know! The marks on m'back ain't the worst he done t'me!" Daryl suddenly turned his back to him, knowing he had said too much. Norm weighed his words carefully.

"Whatever was done to you, you got a choice. From what Merle told me, your daddy beat your mama. You ain't never laid a hand on Amber like that. You're not a drunk. You've got to decide what you want and if your willing to do what it takes."

Daryl's hands went to his hair. "What I want?" he turned back to Norm, his eyes crazy. "WHAT I WANT? What I fuckin want is for everything to go back to the way it was three months ago! We were HAPPY DAMMIT! WE WERE FINE THE WAY WE WERE! Every damn TIME things are fine for me an' her something comes along and FUCKS IT UP!"

A choked cry sounded from the hallway to the bedroom. Both men's heads rocked around in that direction in shock. Amber stood there, one hand on her belly, the other over her mouth, tears already spilling down her cheeks. She had simply stepped into the bathroom to redo her bun that had fallen in the heat before heading up to the big house.

"Christ..." Norm muttered "Baby G..."

"No!" she said, voice surprisingly strong after she dropped her hand from her mouth. She strode over to Daryl, looking up at him, rage and hurt mingling on her face. "So THAT'S all our baby is to you?! A FUCK UP you wish you could TAKE BACK?!"

Daryl finally shook himself from his shock. "Hell, no! That ain't what I..."

"LIAR!" she yelled up at him, "That's EXACTLY what you've been telling me for the last month and a half! I just have been too stupid to listen!"

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he yelled back "Fuck no I ain't happy about it! A'ight? I said it!"

"And you wanted me to have an abortion?! To KILL OUR BABY?!"

Norm stood, readying himself to step between the two of them. He hesitated to intervene for the moment though, his old lady jerking a knot in his ass may have been just what Daryl needed.

"Fuck NO!" Daryl raged, "I said there wasn't no cause for you or it to pay for my mistakes!" with the word 'it' Daryl gestured toward her belly.

"It! IT! THAT!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. "That's all you can ever call OUR BABY! It and that?! DARYL! I know EVERYTHING about you, about your past. And I NEVER had any doubt that you would be a good daddy. Up until about five minutes ago! You want to take it back?! Fine! But let's go back a little farther than just that day at the peach trees! Let's take back our wedding day too! Surely that would prevent IT from happening! Or, holy hell! Let's go back to the beginning! HOW ABOUT we take back when you set me on the counter and kissed me that day in the trailer! That'll take care of it all!" Her eyes were wild as she took a step forward, so close that she had to crane her neck up to look at Daryl. "This baby, or FUCK UP as you call it, is made of me and you. So if you don't want it, then you don't want us." She took a moment to steady her voice, despite the shudders that were now wracking her body before raising her arm and pointing to the door.

"GET! OUT!"


	8. Broken and Bloody

**Warning: Use of racial slur in this chapter.**

**I have had so many concerned reviews and pm's! Y'all love my folks so much! As for whether or not Amber and Daryl are gonna break up, I can only direct you to my previous fics and how the plotlines worked in those. Just hold on, okay? Also, everything that happens in this night is extremely pivotal to all three Dixons that live in the house on the pond. Trust me, we're gonna get there, it's just gonna take Daryl well, being brought down a little. Then he has a conversation with the last person you would expect. But not before shit happens. So let's see what's happenin on the house on the pond...**

"HELL NO! I ain't fuckin leavin! This is MY damn house!" Daryl spat back at the tiny fury that was currently almost chin to chest with him.

"Daryl, she asked you to leave." Norm said evenly. "Why don't you..."

"Shut up old man!" Daryl answered, not even turning to face him. "This is my house and my BITCH and I'm about to handle BOTH! If anybody needs ta leave it's YOU!"

"FUCK YOU!" Amber raged, pushing on Daryl's chest. "You LEAVE you sorry lying hateful SON OF A BITCH! Me and your little FUCK UP will be JUST FINE without you! Get on your bike and RIDE MOTHERFUCKER!" She was out of her mind now, striking out randomly, punching and slapping at Daryl without thought. But then she made real contact, her small fist connecting as solidly as it could with his jaw. It didn't hurt him, didn't really phase him. It didn't have to in order to have the affect it did.

Daryl caught her wrist just after the punch landed and bent it back, pinning her in place. Norm stepped up and grabbed his shoulder but Daryl pushed him back with his free hand hard, causing him to stumble back and fall. Daryl addressed Amber with eyes so dark they were midnight blue.

"Listen here, little bitch." he growled out between clenched teeth. "I done told ya b'fore about hittin me in the fuckin face!" Daryl's hand that wasn't bending her wrist back came up, readying to backhand her. Norm saw the silver rattlesnake and skull ring glint in the late afternoon sun that was pouring through the window and he knew in his gut that Daryl was about to make the same mistake he did. The man also knew he didn't have time to scramble up out of the floor and get to them before Daryl's knuckles and that ring made contact with Baby Girl's face.

Except it wouldn't be just his wife that Daryl was hitting.

Daryl's hand seemed to hesitate in midair, the second dragging out for hours. Then it clenched in a fist and he released Amber, spinning around to grip the kitchen table and flip it over as he roared. Baskets of tomatoes flew as did the four dozen glass jars Amber had just scalded and set out. Norm barely escaped injury from the flying glass shards as the jars exploded on the floor by rolling quickly towards the cabinets to his right. Then he was up, adrenalin pumping. Daryl didn't have time to react before the older man had him in a choke hold and kicked his knees out from under him. Norm drug him to the door, thrashing and kicking, and threw him down the porch steps, then jumping down them himself. Daryl rolled and came up immediately, taking a fighters stance. Norm quickly jerked off his leather and tee and threw them on the porch before mirroring it.

"Come on, you little prick. You been wanting to fight somebody for a fucking month."

"Fuck you, wetback!" Daryl charged at him, his shoulder contacting Norm's stomach. They went down in a heap in front of the steps, Norm eventually getting the upper hand. Daryl's mindless rage was making him sloppy. Norm sat up on Daryl, his fist contacting solidly with his cheekbone.

"That's for almost hitting Baby Girl!" he hit him again, "And this is for calling me a wetback! I'm Cuban not Mexican, dumbass!"

Daryl bucked him off, ending up reversing their positions. "Then go roll some damn cigars and stay the fuck outta my business! I don't need you!" He returned the hits, Norms head rocking back.

"STOP!" Amber screamed from the porch franticly. They both ignored her, rolling around in the yard for a minute before they came up to their feet. Norm pinned Daryl against the side of his truck.

"You ain't got ANY idea what I done for you boy!"

"Then TELL me!" Daryl said bitterly as he pushed him off. They both stood there chests heaving. Finally Norm answered.

"Those bows you saw in that load last month? They were for me to use. The Irish wanted our archer to do some hits. Said if he didn't they'd rain hell down on the whole club."

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "That's my job then, not yours. If you didn't think I could handle my shit, you shouldn't have approved my ink!"

"This ain't about handling your shit! I was trying to protect you!"

"From what?! I've done hits before, killed men!"

"Women though? KIDS?"

Daryl's eyes widened and Norm went on.

"Yeah, that's right. Not only am I a drunk and a coke head, I'm a fucking kid killer. Two teenage girls, younger than that one that pulled that gun on me in the last meth house we raided. Why you think I started doing the coke?"

Daryl steeled his eyes. "Still don't mean ya can come in my house and order me around."

"I didn't ask you to leave, your WIFE did! And you better, if only to cool off."

"I better?! Kiss my ass, this is MY HOUSE!" Daryl charged him again, this time they ended up against the porch, their hands around each others necks. Daryl dropped a hand down to his belt to reach for his knife and the crack of gunfire split the air.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER!" Amber shrieked, standing at the foot of the steps, her Glock pointed skyward. Both men froze, hands dropping slowly to their sides, Norm pushing Daryl off of him.

She turned to Daryl, dropping the gun toward the ground. "I asked you to leave."

He wiped blood from the side of his mouth with the back of a hand, chest heaving with exertion. "I built this fuckin house."

"The man who built this house has been gone for over a month. You're not him."

"If I leave I ain't comin back."

Norm shook his head. "Jesus..."

"Fine." Amber said suddenly. She ran into the house, both men seeming confused as to what she was doing. A moment later she emerged, carrying Daryl's bow. She flung it into the back of the truck and then threw the keys at him. He let them bounce off his chest and into the grass at his feet.

"That's what you came onto this farm with, your truck and your bow. That's what you can leave with." Amber said, voice steady until the last few words.

Daryl bent over, keeping his eyes on her as he picked up his keys. Norm didn't move, just watched Daryl walk over to stand a few feet in front of Amber. "Best be goin then." he glanced down at her belly. "Reckon ya got what ya wanted from me anyway."

He got into the truck, neither Amber nor Norm moving until it roared over the damn, slinging gravel. He turned toward her but she ran into the house, dropping her gun on the ground as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Norm picked it up and walked into the house, expecting to find her hysterically sobbing as she tried to clean up the kitchen. It was empty however, the floor a mess of broken glass and smashed tomatoes. He walked into the living room, also empty.

"Baby Girl?" he called out, listening for a second. He thought he heard a noise from the master bath and headed that way. He knocked on the door, expecting her to do what he was familiar with Kaye doing, locking herself in to cry.

"Hey, Baby Girl, you want me to give you a minute? I ain't leavin you alone. Want me to call your mama?"

She didn't answer, the only noise sounding like something fell off the counter.

"Baby Girl?!" He waited a minute. "Dammit Amber, answer me or I'm breaking down the damn door!"

The he heard her, a broken sick painful moan and his heart froze over. Norm took a step back and hit the door with his shoulder, the door jam splintering. He hit it again, praying she was out of the way. It broke open and rocketed in, rebounding against the counter. Norm caught it with his hand and stepped in, then falling to his knees.

Amber was curled up in a ball in the floor, hands clutching her tiny bump. Her brow had broken out in sweat, face a mask of pain.

"Oh shit...oh Jesus...Baby Girl..." he babbled, panic rushing up, not knowing where to put his hands. Amber looked up at him pleadingly.

"The baby...my baby...Norm..." she burst into sobs, as if knowing her child was already gone. He pulled her hands from from her stomach, nearly retching at the red stains they left on the pink fabric. Her palms were sticky with blood that he now saw also stained the crotch of her shorts. He let her hands go and jerked his phone from his vest pocket, speed dialing the only person he could think of. It rang twice and went to voicemail.

"GODDAMMIT KAYLA!" he cursed, dialing her again. She had ignored his calls since they separated, choosing to communicate through Ella. This time the call went directly to voicemail.

"FUCK!" Norm threw his phone across the bathroom and then turned back to Amber. He slipped his arms up under her, making himself be careful despite his panic. Amber sobbed into his chest, hands clutching at her belly, crying out in pain every few seconds as he moved her to the bed. As soon as he laid her down he spotted her phone on the nightstand and grabbed it. He sat down beside her, hand clumsily rubbing her back as she lay on her side still in a ball. With his other hand he flipped through Amber's contacts finally spotting the one labeled "Mama Kaye". He dialed it, praying for her to answer. She did after the third ring and Norm didn't wait for her to say hello, saying it all in a rush."

"Dammit Kayla! Its me! DO NOT HANG UP ON ME! It's Baby Girl...Jesus...her and Daryl got in a fight...he left...Fuck Kayla, she's bleeding and hurting...I think she's losing the baby...Baby, please...I don't know what to do..."

**Okay, everybody hold your 'taters! Shelly is handing out paper bags for those of you who are hyperventilating to breathe into. Kaye is passing around glasses of Tennessee Honey and a joint to calm everyone's nerves! I'm already writing the next chapter and will post it asap! You want to know what's happening on Kaye's end of that phone call? Check out the latest chapter of Home Sweet Home!**


	9. The Smell Of Death

Here it is! Sorry it took so long! Still angsty! I'm already working on the next one, I promise!

I do not own "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

_The smell of death surrounds you..._

_-"That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd_

Daryl wanted, no he NEEDED to get drunk. He needed to get drunk, stoned, shit, what the fuck ever it took to get her face out of his head. That look Baby Girl had as he bent her tiny wrist back in his rough hand and went to hit her. It was utter terror, the last time he saw that look on her face was when she woke from her coma. And it wasn't fucking Philip who had caused it this time, it was him, the man she had married.

Daryl hit the steering wheel as he pulled out from the back road that led to the farm onto the highway.

"FUCK!" he roared, at nothing and everything. He had no idea where to go. He needed to go away. She had said it herself, they would be JUST FINE without him. Just like everyone else in his damn life. Where could he go? Not the clubhouse, that was HER family not his. They would side with her, had nearly shit themselves they were so happy about 'it'. Couldn't go to Ty's. The Angel's owned the damn thing now, and Beth would be singing. Daryl wracked his brain and then hit on the perfect thing, turning the truck around so quickly it nearly fishtailed. He had driven the truck to the clubhouse the night before because the throttle was sticking on the bike so his leather was in the seat beside him. That would get him preferential treatment where he was going. He slowed down for a second, reaching over to pop open the glove box. He dug for a moment, the bag of weed and rolling papers in his hand a second later. He had been smoking a joint before he came home each night so he could sleep. Then Daryl straightened up, putting the accelerator to the floor.

He was headed to The Lollipop.

Twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot. It was dark now, the last light of dusk dying over the treeline. Daryl purposely parked at the end of the lot in the shadow. He rolled the joint with shaking hands, the expulsion of rage leaving his nerves jangling. He cursed, wasting two papers before he got it right. That was a joke. Baby Girl preferred a pipe but could roll a joint one handed with her eyes closed. Wasn't like she was going to be lighting up one anytime soon, though, was it? And wouldn't be lighting one up with him ever again.

Daryl shook his head, lighting it up. He just sat for a while and smoked, playing the scene of that afternoon out in his mind. WHY did she have to be there? He could have gotten all this shit off his chest and been alright for a while! WHY did Norm have to be all touchy feely all of a damn sudden? Now Daryl couldn't even go back to his damn house, the one he built with his own hands.

The more he thought the more bitter he got. The weed began to do away with his inhibition, letting him think things that normally would have been off limits. That little bitch, this was what she wanted. She got her house, had him work like a dog for the last year to put that money up. She probably even got pregnant on purpose. Then she didn't need him anymore. Hell, she had said that herself, hadn't she? She was probably sitting at home all happy and shit, buying baby stuff online with the money HE earned.

Daryl flicked the roach out the window and then opened the door to slide out. He slipped on his leather, then making his way to the door. Before he got there his phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans. It took him a minute to get it out, already flying high on Columbian Gold, but then he scowled at the name on the screen. Mama Deb could go fuck herself as far as he was concerned. Sure as hell, Amber probably called her as soon as he left, bitching about the mess he'd made. He could see her now, feeding her mama and daddy a sob story. Mean old Daryl fucked up the kitchen and fought with Uncle Norm. He put the phone on silent, keeping it in his hand as he went in.

Daryl went straight to one of the private booths in the back, this was the first time he had been here without Baby Girl since his bachelor party. They had come together a couple times over the past year, even once with Beth and Merle. Amber always bought him a lap dance with Nikki and they always fucked like animals when they got home. Hell, once they didn't even make it out of the parking lot, rocking the axles on the truck. Daryl threw his phone on the table and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes for a moment, trying to get the picture out of his head. Why did everything, every damn THOUGHT, always have to lead back to HER?!

_Angel of darkness is upon you _

_Stuck a needle in your arm _

_So take another toke, have some blow for your nose _

_One more drink fool, will drown you _

_Ooooh that smell _

_Can't you smell that smell _

_Ooooh that smell _

_The smell of death surrounds you_

Kaye grabbed Deb as soon as she ran in the doors of the emergency room. Barry was right on her heels, Merle and Beth only feet behind.

"Where is she?!" Deb asked, eyes wide.

"They just took her back, we stayed out here to wait on y'all..." she filled in her friend and the younger Angel in on what had happened as Barry and Merle cornered Norm.

"What. The Fuck. Happened." Barry snarled, his eyes going to Baby Girl's blood on the front of Norm's vest. "He hit her? Hit my little girl?"

Norm shook his head. "No! They fought...argued. Me and him got a few licks in on each other. She made him leave. After that...I don't know, man. She got so upset, started bleeding and hurting real bad."

"What was they fightin about? He bein a dick?!" Merle asked, well aware of his brother's attitude lately.

Norm looked at him for a second and decided he was done lying to his family. "Yeah. She heard him say some shit to me."

"What, Sarge? Tell me."

Norm sighed, knowing he was about to bring hell down on Daryl's head. Part of him wanted to though after hearing how Amber cried for him all the way to the hospital, even after what Daryl had said. "He said he didn't want the baby. That he had considered asking her to...get rid of it."

Merle's eyes went cold and Norm knew he had just seen the DEMON Mastema take up residence. "He wanted'er ta kill it?! Our BLOOD?! DIXON BLOOD?!" Merle cracked his knuckles. "I done beat his ass over her once. I'm beatin him inta the ground this time."

"You better hope you find him before me then." Norm brought his head up to look at his friend of over two decades. He had only heard that tone in Barry's voice a hand full of times. Thing about Barry was, he didn't even have to let Marchosias in his head to be a killing machine. "Because once I get done with him, there won't be enough left to beat."

They walked over to their Angel's but a nurse came up to the group before they could say anything. "This Mrs. Dixon's family?"

"Yes!" several of them answered in unison. Blood or not, broken marriages or not, family was family.

She gave them a desperate look. "Mrs. Dixon won't let us treat her, check her. She just keeps calling for her husband. Is there someone here who can help? The OB doesn't want to sedate her if he doesn't have to, it's not good for the baby."

Deb spoke up without hesitation, taking Kaye's hand. "We'll go back." She turned to Beth, "Stay out here, other Angels are on their way." Then she turned to her husband, her look going cold. "FIND HIM. Don't kill him, YET." Barry nodded grimly as did Merle. Kaye looked at Norm, the hand that wasn't in Deb's ghosting over the bruise Daryl had put on his jaw before pulling him down for their foreheads to meet. "Find him, baby. She needs him, whether he believes it or not. And if she loses this baby, it's not the DEMONS Daryl will have to worry about, because the Angel's will kill him."

Norm nodded and then she was gone, Deb pulling her to the back to Baby Girl. The DEMONS headed out to the parking lot. "I'm figuring he went to get drunk." Merle spoke up, straddling his bike. "I'm headin ta Ty's."

Barry nodded. "I'll go to the clubhouse." he looked at Norm. "You got any ideas?"

"Yeah. I'll call if I find him." Norm jumped in Kaye's Suburban, thankful that the farm was on the way to his destination. He wanted to be on his bike while looking. He figured Daryl would want to be as far away from family as possible. That was good, meaning Barry and Merle probably wouldn't be the ones to find him. He texted Daryl's number one last time as he switched from the SUV to the bike. There was no answer.

_Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars _

_Oak tree you're in my way _

_There's too much coke and too much smoke _

_Look what's going on inside you _

_Ooooh that smell _

_Can't you smell that smell _

_Ooooh that smell _

_The smell of death surrounds you _

The light on Daryl's phone flashed franticly but it just blended into the neon of the Lollipop in Daryl's marijuana saturated brain. He was focused on his conversation with the waitress.

"Drink?" she asked, pen tapping on a barely clad breast.

"Southern Comfort. Jus bring a bottle and a glass."

She nodded. "Ya want a dance, darlin?"

"Nikki workin?"

"Yeah. How many dances?"

Daryl held up a couple of hundred dollar bills between his first two fingers. "Full service."

She raised an eyebrow but then saw the Demons leather. Taking the bills and slipping them into her apron, she then withdrew two condoms, encased in gold foil that was embossed with the clubs logo. She laid them on the table, the sign that full service had been ordered by the customer for the dancers who were willing to do such things.

Daryl was a couple drinks into the bottle when Nikki came into the booth, wearing a black g-string and knee high black patent stripper boots. She smiled at Daryl when she came in but he just glowered back, throwing back another shot. Then her smile fell as her eyes darted around.

"You're alone?"

"Does it matter?" he shot back, refilling his glass, the bottle unsteady and clinking against the rim of the glass.

She saw the condoms then and her eyes widened. Nikki didn't have a problem giving the right clients "full service". But this one...she had only seen Daryl here with his wife, except for when she danced at his bachelor party. He threw back the drink and then jerked his head back, motioning her over. She slowly took her place on his lap and began to grind to an old Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

And his phone kept blinking.

_Now they call you Prince Charming _

_Can't speak a word when you're full of 'ludes _

_Say you'll be all right come tomorrow _

_But tomorrow might not be here for you _

_Ooooh that smell _

_Can't you smell that smell _

_Ooooh that smell _

_The smell of death surrounds you_

Deb paced outside of her daughters room there in the emergency department, texting Daryl's phone again. Kaye was taking a turn inside trying to keep Amber calm. The bleeding seemed to have slowed some but the doctor wanted to check her. Amber had kept refusing, even kicking and thrashing when they attempted. She just kept calling for Daryl and clinging to her mother or Kaye, weeping for the baby.

Kaye stuck her head out of the door. "She wants you."

Deb stepped back in, immediately leaning over the stretcher. "Hey, Baby Girl."

"Mama, this is my fault." Amber sobbed into the woman's chest. "I told him to leave."

Deb shook her head. "No, girl. Everything's going to be all right. It's not anybody's fault." She didn't believe the last part but declaring whose fault it was exactly wasn't going to calm her daughter at the moment.

"But he was acting crazy. Mama, what if he hurts himself? What about the baby?"

Deb cast a helpless look at Kaye who came to sit on the other side of the stretcher. "It's alright, Baby Girl. Listen, you've got to let them check you. They want to do an ultrasound. You want some more baby pictures don't you?"

Amber shook her head franticly. "No! Not until he's here! What if...what if..." she broke into sobs, still clinging to her mother. Kaye gave her best friend a sorrowful look and stepped out of the room, pulling her phone out of her pocket. No matter how crazy Daryl was, she knew he loved Amber and would be here if he knew what was going on.

God, kid. Answer your damn phone.

_Hey, you're a fool you _

_Stick them needles in your arm _

_I know I been there before_

_The smell of death surrounds y_ou.

Daryl leaned back in the chair, giving himself over to the feel of the body in his lap. Weed and Southern Comfort were dulling his senses, confusing them. His hands twitched, longing to tangle themselves in her hair. But it was wrong, several shades too light and not long enough. What had Baby Girl done to her hair?

He pulled at the g-string with a smirk. She always liked how he ripped her panties off of her. Oh well, another pair lost. Her hands came up, seeming to hesitate before untying the strings. Then she was bare before him.

"Baby Girl..." he murmured, so close to her stomach that his breath ghosted over her flesh. Her smell was wrong too though. It wasn't bad, just...wrong. This wasn't rain and cold clean fast flowing creeks. This was musk and some kind of flowers. Daryl frowned for a second but the thought he had was lost in the haze. Her tits were just above his face and he grinned up at them. They were too small, she must have lost more weight. Was she still sick? Something nagged at his mind. She was sick? She needed him? What?

Daryl brought his hand up. Baby Girl must be fine if she felt good enough to ride his lap like this. He reached up to cup her breast, pull her body to his mouth. He just wanted a taste...just wanted his girl back...

The phone sat on the table, blinking again, a lost reminder of a life he may have abandoned.

_Angel of darkness is upon you _

_Stuck a needle in your arm _

_So take another toke, have a blow for your nose _

_One more drink fool, will drown you _

_Ooooh that smell _

_Can't you smell that smell _

_Ooooh that smell _

_The smell of death surrounds you_

Norm rode like a bat out of hell. It would take forty minutes to get there. He took back roads, figuring Daryl would stick to them if he was drunk. God, if he had known this would happen he would have stopped him from leaving. Norm still didn't know if he would get Kaye back, no matter what he tried. But Amber and Daryl, they would die if apart. Already their baby's life hung in the balance. He forced himself to focus, looking at every vehicle he passed and met. That beat to hell truck would be easy to spot.

_Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars _

_Oak tree you're in my way _

_There's too much coke and too much smoke _

_Look what's going on inside you _

_Ooooh that smell _

_Can't you smell that smell _

_Ooooh that smell _

_The smell of death surrounds you _

Daryl was a hairs breadth away from touching her when a hand firmly encircled his wrist. He looked up at her face confused. He recoiled then.

This wasn't Baby Girl.

"I'm not her." Nikki said firmly. "If you want her, then you need to go home."

Daryl's eyes grew wide and he clumsily pushed the stripper off his lap, hands now trying their best to stay away from her skin. Nikki climbed off, grabbing her g-string as she shook her head. Daryl ignored her, the blinking light of his phone mocking him. He snatched it up.

_8 text messages._

He opened them up, each one making his stomach sicker.

_Kaye: GET HOME NOW!_

_Sarge: TAKING AMBER TO HOSPITAL. GET THERE!_

_Mama Deb: WHERE ARE YOU?_

_Merle: Thats our blood. Imma kill you for what you did._

_Beth: Please, Amber needs you._

_Barry: YOU ARE DEAD._

_Norm: She's bleeding, dont know if baby is okay. _

_Mama Deb: Please! She won't let the doctors touch her! Where are you?_

Daryl leapt up, clumsily pushing past Nikki and staggering to the door. He stumbled in the parking lot, hitting his knees in the gravel, the stones biting into his palms. He cursed and pushed back up to his feet immediately. It took him a minute to get into the truck, key jittering around the lock in his inebriated state.

Daryl pulled himself behind the wheel and cranked it, spraying gravel as he gunned the engine. The hospital. Jesus, she was bleeding. That was how he almost lost her before, all that damn blood. Baby Girl needed him and he wasn't FUCKING THERE. This was his fault. He shouldn't have left, shouldn't have said what he did. She told him that she had believed in him, believed that he could do it. Wasn't that how it always was with them? He thought he couldn't and Amber would show him that he could?

I'm coming, sweet girl. Oh Jesus, I'm so sorry. What have I done?

Daryl took one hand off the wheel to swipe the back across his face. Why was his vision all wavery? His hand came away wet as he brought it back to the wheel. The thought to call somebody didn't even occur to him until he was halfway there. He grabbed the phone off the seat beside him, looking down as he searched for who to call. Deb? Norm? Would he even answer after that fight? Merle?

The truck began to drift left, wheels diving off the asphalt. He was still looking down at the phone when the one hundred year old oak tree parted the grille.

Daryl's last thought before everything went black?

She needs me.

_The smell of death is upon you..._


	10. In Between

**You guys are amazing! I don't believe I have EVER had a chapter cause my inbox to blow up like the last two have! I would have updated sooner but my son broke both bones in his forearm last night during a baseball tournament. He may have surgery tomorrow so I may not post again until Tuesday! But I think this chapter will be what y'all want! I actually had to walk away for a few minutes while writing because I got so emotional. Let me know please how it works for you!**

Norm was almost halfway to the Lollipop, the Georgia backroads winding in the dark. He turned the curve right before he would have had to turn onto the highway and then he saw it, Daryl's pickup, driven headfirst into a huge oak. He braked his bike so fast that he almost laid it down, tires skidding on the asphalt. He didn't bother putting down the kickstand in his haste, laying the Harley on the shoulder. Then he slung off his helmet and threw it to the side, his boots thudding under him as he ran. A litany of obscenities and half prayers ran through his mind.

_FucknonotthisJesuspleasenodontlethimbedeadwewilllo seallthreeofthemNO_!

It couldn't have been more than two or three minutes since the wreck, steam still rose from the grille and the engine made odd clicking noises. The front windshield was obliterated along with the whole front end of the vehicle. Norm jerked open the driver side door, steeling himself for what he would find.

It was empty except for Daryl's phone in the floorboard, now smashed and some blood (too MUCH blood) on the dash. Norm stood stock still, stunned for a moment. Then he heard a noise to his left, behind and slightly to the side of the tree. He whirled around and saw it in the moonlight, red black and white stitching, so deeply familiar because it was the same as what he had worn on his own back for two decades. Daryl lay in the underbrush, crumpled body with his back to him. Norm was at his side in seconds, falling to his knees and ripping apart underbrush that was between them, what bit that Daryl didn't smash through when he was thrown from the truck. Daryl let out a low groan when Norm rolled him onto his back and the DEMONS Sergeant nearly cried right then and there. If the boy could moan then that meant he was breathing. He looked down at Daryl's body then though, and his stomach rolled.

He had a gash on the left side of his head, blood slowly soaking into his hair, making it look inky black in the dim light. There were bits of glass from the windshield all over him and what looked like a set of black eyes. The worst was his left arm. It was bent back at a sickeningly WRONG angle at the shoulder.

"Christ..." Norm murmured in shock.

Daryl's eyes fluttered half open at the sound of his voice. "Sarge?" he breathed out.

"Yeah kid?" Norm answered, now fumbling his phone from his phone from his vest, thankful it hadn't broken when he threw it across the bathroom earlier that day.

"Baby Girl...she needs...me..." He tried to sit up but only moved inches before it jostled his shoulder. He let out a pained cry, slumping back against the red clay under him. Norm shook his head, putting a hand on the other man's chest.

"Stay still, boy. Trust me, you're about to go to the same place she's at."

"She...is she..."

"She was holding her own the last time I saw her. Wanted your sorry ass. Now just hold on, I gotta get some help coming."

Then Norm made his second panicked phone call of the day, this time to 911.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

Barry and Merle stood at the bay an hour later when The ambulance pulled up with full lights and sirens. Norm was right behind, pulling the bike to a full stop next to where they stood.

"How bad?" Merle asked.

"Got a bad cut on the side of his head. Im guessing his shoulder is dislocated too." Norm answered. He had texted them that he had found Daryl and about the wreck as he waited for the ambulance. "Y'all tell Baby Girl?"

Barry nodded. "Deb told her we found'im. That he was on his way here. Didn't say anything about the wreck. She said she was gonna let the docs check her now."

The back door to the ambulance opened and the paramedics unloaded Daryl. He was strapped down and was still trying to get up. He saw his brother as they wheeled him in and stopped his struggles.

"Merle..." he gasped, "Baby Girl...she..."

"She's here, bro. Been screamin for you." Merle answered, not feeling like sugar coating anything with his little brother, injured or not.

Barry just stood to the side as they wheeled him in, arms crossed over his chest. Norm knew he was barely hanging on, keeping himself from pulling Daryl off the stretcher and driving his knife in his gut. They followed the paramedics in as they rushed him into one of the trauma bays. It was less than twenty feet from the door to Amber's room. Barry and Norm stood outside the door to Daryl, Norm deciding that he needed to head to a meeting. The desire to use was raising it's ugly head after that day's events.

Deb slipped out of Amber's room, heading straight for her husband. He gathered her in his arms, his look questioning.

"They're about to check her. I'm afraid it's going to be bad. Kaye and I are probably going to hold her down. That's..." her voice broke. "That's our GRANDBABY! And Amber, she's never been checked without Daryl with her. The only doctor they have available is a man..." She lay her head on his shoulder, shuddering. Barry hugged her tight and then kissed her forehead.

"You best get back in there with her then. Don't worry. He's gonna pay."

She looked at him, frowning. "No!" she whispered. "Don't! If he dies..."

He shook his head. "I ain't gonna kill him. I wouldn't do that to her." Barry kept his voice low too, so Merle couldn't here from where he sat in a chair a few feet away. Deb nodded, putting a peck on his cheek before returning to her daughter.

The doctor came out of the trauma bay a few minutes later. "Are you Mr. Dixon's family?"

"Yeah, I'm his brother." Merle said scrambling up out of his chair.

"I'm his father in law." Barry said evenly. The doctor paled a little noting their leather. Everyone in the town knew who the DEMONS were. And Barry's ties to the hospitals administration were just as strong as they were two years previous when Amber was hurt.

"Well...he has been seriously injured. His left shoulder is completely dislocated. We just got the bleeding stopped from the laceration on his head. It'll require stitches of course. We still don't know about internal injuries. He was thrown from the vehicle so if there is internal bleeding it could be life threatening. We are going to put him under to set the shoulder and then send him for some scans."

They nodded and then Barry turned to Merle. "Go out to the waiting room. Let the other brothers know what's going on."

Merle raised an eyebrow. "I need to stay close. He's my little bro, pres."

"Merle." Barry said, voice taking on the tone he used at the table. "I said go out to the waiting room. It's an order." Merle looked between Barry and the doctor. The president went on. "Losing him would kill Amber. I'm not about to do that to her. But that's the only reason he's not dead yet."

Merle nodded and then slowly walked out to the waiting room, knowing his brother was about to pay, at least in part, for what he had done. Barry turned back to the doctor. The obstetrics physician that was on call walked past them and knocked on the door to Amber's room before stepping in. Seeing that and knowing what his daughter was about to go through hardened his resolve.

"Doc...do you know who I am?" Barry asked the wide eyed man.

"Y-yes sir. Everyone knows who you are."

"Then you know the power I have over your administrators. Now listen to me..." He went on to tell the doctor exactly what he was going to do, well actually what he WASN'T going to do. Then he finished up with "If you need help holding him down, let me know. I've got men just outside who can do it."

The doctor shook his head. "We have him restrained. He keeps trying to get up and get to his wife."

"He should have done that about six hours ago."

The doctor went back into the room again, leaving Barry alone in the hall. He slid down the wall to sit on his heels, hands over his bald head as he looked at the ground. He heard his daughter first, her husband a few seconds later.

They were each screaming for the other.

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_Damn it was hot._

_Daryl sat on the dock, boots swinging just above the water. He had a fishing pole in his hand and flicked it over his shoulder. The bait and hook sailed out over the pond and landed in the water with a "plop"._

_"Dammit!"_

_The little voice sounded just to his left and his head swiveled around. She sat right next to him, nearly touching. She couldn't have been more than five, with a wild head of tight raven curls that cascaded down her back. Daryl wondered who the hell had left their kid down at his place. Then he heard himself speak as if he were a passive observer inside his own head._

_"Watch ya mouth, girl. Ya mama hears ya say that shit and she'll have my ass."_

_The girl looked up at him then and Daryl knew exactly who she was. She had her mama's face, cheeks rounded and skin porcelain with freckles across her nose but the eyes that looked back at him were just the same as Daryl had seen in the mirror for the last thirty six years._

_She has my eyes._

_Then she frowned, actually scowled, and he saw himself again._

_"I can't get the worm on. You do it?" she asked, holding up a hook in one hand, red wiggler in the other. He felt himself frown then._

_"Be careful, a'ight? Ya didn't stick yaself did ya?" He took the hook and worm, setting them on the dock before taking her hands in his. They were tiny, but not unfamiliar as he turned them over in his, calloused fingers checking for any cuts. Those hands were miniature duplicates of another pair that Daryl had held hundreds, maybe thousands of times. He knew who she was, and where they were now. And that scared him. Because if she was in this "in between" place with him, that meant she could be going too._

_The girl climbed up into his lap and it was strange to Daryl that it didn't feel strange at all. Her body fit perfectly against his, little head on his chest. His arms came around her seemingly of their own volition, snuggling her deeper into him. She wore a pink tee shirt with a pair of denim shorts, feet bare as they curled against his work pants. Toenails so tiny they didn't seem real to him were painted the same color as her shirt. Of course, what other color would they be?_

_Daryl felt his head drop and his lips press against the top of her head for a moment. That buried his nose in the mass of black curls and her scent took him. She smelled like her mama, like clean water. But there was something underneath that too, a wild smell, like the woods and fresh earth. He realized it after a second, that it was his smell, mingled with her mama's. That made his chest feel tight and a knot swell in his throat._

_"I don't feel good." she said quietly, fingers fiddling with a button on his shirt._

_"I know. Me neither. But ya gotta fight."_

_"I'm too little."_

_Daryl shook his head, gently taking her chin in his hand to bring her face up to look at him. "Little don't matter for shit. Ya fight, ya hear me, girl? She needs ya."_

_The girl nodded and then looked down again. "You gonna fight too? Cause I don't want to stay if you don't."_

_"Ya mama cain't lose both of us, she cain't bear it. She's been through too much already. I'VE put her through too much."_

_"Then you stay too. We need you. She didn't mean it when she said we didn't. I know."_

_"I'll try. That's all I can promise." Daryl's arm was hurting like a bitch and he knew it was getting close to time to decide which way he was going._

_She nodded against him and then looked up suddenly with a grin. "I almost forgot. That lady wanted me to tell you something."_

_"What lady?"_

_"The one that looks like you. She wanted me to tell you something..." she looked up as if in deep thought. "She said that you're not like him, you never were. And that she's proud of you. She said she's proud of Uncle Merle too, but not to tell him that. He'll get a big head, whatever that means."_

_Daryl clutched that little head against his chest then, his face pressed into those wild curls as they grew w_et _under him. He shook for a second before composing himself enough to speak. The pain in his body was overwhelming even as a lifetime of pain left his heart. Time was short and he had something to say._

_"I love ya, Peach."_

_"I love you too, Daddy."_

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"Peach..." Daryl muttered, feeling like he needed to be somewhere. He tried to sit up and pain shot through his left shoulder like lightening. He groaned through clenched teeth, barely able to keep from screaming out. His heavy eyelids were finally able to be forced open and he blinked for a few seconds. Then the haze lifted from his vision and he saw where he was. It was a hospital room and what looked like mid morning sunlight was pouring in the blinds. He tried to bring his right hand up to his face and found it weighted down. That weight was familiar.

Daryl turned his head just to the right and there she was. Baby Girl sat in a wheelchair, her head down on the bed next to his as she held his hand. She was asleep and looked like she needed it. Deep black circles were under her eyes and her face was back to the same pale it had been when the morning sickness was at it's worst. He slipped his hand from hers, meaning to only brush a stray strand of hair from her face. When his skin brushed hers though, she jumped, eyes popping open as she sat up.

"Daryl...oh my god...you're awake!" she gasped. She stood up, seemingly a bit unsteady, and then bent over the bed, carefully laying her head on his right shoulder as she sobbed. His left arm was bound across his chest tightly to immobilize the shoulder. He stroked her hair, shushing her. His memory came rushing back, all the way up until he was wheeled into the ER. Then it was just a haze of agony and then images of the dock for some reason.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Quit cryin, ya ain't 'sposed ta be upset. I've upset ya enough lately."

Baby Girl pulled back to look at Daryl's face and he wiped hers with his fingers. He never could stand to see tears running down her cheeks. "I love you, Desperado. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "I love ya too, girl. But you ain't got a damn thing ta be sorry about. I deserved all of it, and more. I was a sorry lyin hateful son of a bitch, just like ya said. Jesus..." his voice broke and he rubbed a thumb over her cheekbone for a second and cleared his throat before he continued. "I'm so fuckin sorry, girl. I'll understand if ya don't forgive me. Just tell me you're alright. That you're gonna be alright..."

"I'm fine, Desperado. Just tired and weak. It's only been a day and a half since we both came in. And I forgive you. We've got stuff to work out, but I love you."

She dropped her forehead to his and Daryl moved his hand down her body to slip under the tshirt she wore to lay it against her stomach. His fingers slid just under the waistband of her sleep pants to cup the small curve of her lower belly in his palm. He had a moment of panic. Was it as big as it was before? Was it smaller now? He couldn't tell and it terrified him. He had never touched it before and couldn't tell now.

"Is she alright?" he asked, Amber immediately giving him a puzzled look. "The BABY! Is she alright? Good Lord, please tell me she's alright!"

She nodded slowly. "She's fine. But how did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That it's a girl. I had an ultrasound but you were out."

Daryl thought for a minute but whatever it was he was searching seemed just out of his reach. "I...I don't know. But it is a girl? Right? And our daughter's okay?"

She smiled through new tears. She. The baby. Our daughter. Not 'it' or 'that'. "Yes, Desperado. It's a girl. And she is just fine. I had a small tear in the placenta but it sealed off on it's own. I lost a lot of blood but we're both gonna be fine. As for you..."

"Nope. Not concerned with me right now. I'm hurtin enough to know I ain't dyin no time soon. Ya can tell me the rest later. I'm worried about y'all. Ya 'sposed ta be restin?"

Amber sighed. "Yes baby. I'm actually supposed to be on bedrest for the next couple of weeks until the tear is completely gone. But I've not bled since yesterday."

"Bedrest?" his eyes went to the wheelchair. "Then why ya sleepin in a wheelchair? Damn, girl. That's our kid ya got in there..."

"I'm fine. I wanted to be here when you woke up from the sedation." Daryl wasn't paying attention, doing his best to shift in the bed. "Baby, stop..." she tried to caution but he had already scooted over, turning onto his good side. Amber knew it had to hurt terribly, sweat popped out on Daryl's brow and she could hear his teeth grinding. But then he was laying on his right side, back against the siderail. He jerked his head to the space he had made.

"Get yer ass up here and lay down, girl."

"Baby..."

"Get up here and lay down or I swear ta God I'll get up out of this bed."

Amber saw the set of his jaw and knew he meant it. She dropped the rail on her side to climb in beside him carefully and then raised it back behind her. Then they lay facing one another, so close that they touched, Amber being careful of his injuries. Daryl touched her face, their noses only inches away from each other as he sought her eyes.

"I am SO fuckin sorry, girl. I was scared shitless but that ain't no excuse. I won't ever do that again, act like that. You need me, she needs me."

Amber nodded, "I know, baby. You're right, we do need you."

His hand stroked the skin just under her navel again and he dropped his head to look down.

"I'm so damn sorry. I won't never leave y'all again." Amber started to tell him to quit apologizing but she stopped herself, realizing as he went on that it wasn't her Daryl was talking to now.

"I'm SO sorry. Daddy'll be here from now on. I love ya, Peach. Ain't leavin ya or ya mama ever again. I promise."


	11. Torture and Thumb Sucking

**Some of you realized exactly what Barry did to Daryl, but it becomes apparent in this chapter. And Amber ain't happy. We get a happy doctors visit though!**

**Please review!**

_Late the next day_

Daryl wouldn't let Amber help him up the front porch steps, instead demanding he walk behind her, his one good hand on her elbow. Then he directed her toward the bedroom.

"Baby, I can lay on the couch or the recliner. It doesn't have to be..." she started, rolling her eyes.

"BEDrest, girl." he intoned firmly. They walked through the kitchen, neither mentioning the fact that the glass and tomato mess was gone. Amber assumed it was the work of some Angels or her grandmother. When she lay down on their bed she automatically scooted over to her side, which was next to the wall, making room for Daryl. He hesitated but then sat on the bed.

"I ain't on bedrest."

"Two days ago you totaled your truck, dislocated your shoulder, and got twenty stitches in the side of your head. I think you can lay down for a while. Unless you just don't want to lay with me."

He frowned, pulling at his sling. "Done told ya, I'm done bein a dick. Now help me get this shit off." she undid the strap and he carefully pulled it off before toeing off his boots. They lay facing one another, legs tangled and bodies nearly touching. Amber grinned, fingers stroking Daryl's chest over his wife beater, which had been chosen because it was easier for him to get on than a tee at the moment.

"Hey there, Desperado."

He rolled his eyes. "Stop. Ya know the doc said ya cain't do THAT neither, not for at least a couple weeks. And I ain't feelin too hot m'self at the moment."

She giggled. "Well, considering the fact that I can't have sex for a while, I guess it's good that you're right arm is fine. It shouldn't interfere with any shower time."

Daryl blushed. "Shut up."

"You could kiss me."

"I could, yer right." He made no move to though and after a minute she narrowed her eyes.

"Fine. Here I am carrying your child and you don't even want to kiss me." She huffed and flopped over to her other side. A second later there was a tug on her hair.

"Hey, scoot back."

She scooted back against him and turned her head, confident that she had won and his lips would meet hers. Instead she was met by the top of Daryl's head as he looked down her body and his left hand creeping (carefully, to avoid jostling his shoulder) over her waist to lay on her bump.

"Just so ya know, Peach, ya mama thinks she's smart but she ain't." Daryl deadpanned.

Amber groaned loudly and buried her face in her pillow. "Jackass."

Daryl chuckled behind her, finally giving her what she wanted after a quick, "C'mere."

He kissed her sweetly, only running his tongue over her lower lip once before kissing her behind her ear and then burying his face in her hair. Amber lay her hand over his.

"Why do you call her Peach?"

"Ya know why."

"You tell me."

"Good Lord. Cause she was planted in the peach orchard. Makes sense ta me."

"Planted." Amber laughed. "I can tell I married a farm hand."

"And I married a smart ass." He dug his face against her neck. "Jesus, I love ya, girl. I missed this."

"Your own fault, Desperado."

He nodded against her neck. "Didn't say it wasn't."

Amber grew solemn. "I know why though. It's okay."

"Havin an excuse don't make it okay."

"I love you too." she said, ending that topic for the day. "You probably need to get in the bath."

He snorted. "Ya sayin I stink?"

"Well, the last time you showered WAS almost three days ago. You should have let Merle help you while he was at the hospital this morning since you wouldn't let me."

"It was bad enough he had t'help me get dressed. Ain't no way I was lettin him help me shower."

Amber shook her head. "Fine then. We're at home now."

Daryl sat up slowly and she went to climb off the foot of the bed. "Where the hell are you goin?" he asked.

"To the bathroom, where I assume you are going to shower?"

"No. You are stayin in the bed. All I need is help getting my clothes off. I can do the rest myself since we're at home."

She climbed up behind him, and gave Daryl an impish look over his shoulder. "Awesome. That means I get to watch your naked ass walk all the way across the room."

Daryl scrubbed a hand over his face in mock frustration but still couldn't hide his smirk. "Damn, so bein knocked up is gonna make ya even more horny? I best get me some vitamins or somethin before ya get off bed rest then. Ya already wear me out."

Amber laughed and then pulled the edge of his wife beater up. As the fabric made it's way up she sighed and frowned. Daryl's back was a mass of bruises from being thrown from the truck. She knew no matter how careful she was, just him undressing had to hurt. The undershirt was pulled over his good arm and head (avoiding the stitches) and then she gently slid it down the bad side to drop in the floor. Daryl stood then, turning around and undoing his belt. Amber smirked, he may have been bruised and her on bedrest, but she could always appreciate some good "belt porn". But her smile fell and eyes narrowed at the bruise pattern on his front.

"Whoa..." she said softly, hand over his right one to pull it away from his waistband. "Can you drop your left arm from your chest without hurting?"

Daryl nodded and did so slowly. "Yeah, they look bad as fuck, don't they? Reckon they'll take a month or two t'fade."

Amber shook her head. This wasn't right. Three inch wide bands of bruising ran crossways across Daryl's body from his mid chest to waist. "What is that from? It can't be from your seatbelt. I figured you weren't wearing one anyway..."

Daryl snorted. "Girl, between the drink and the weed I kinda wasn't thinkin safety first, ya know? I guess it's from where they tied me down in the emergency room to reset my shoulder. I fought'em so hard it must have done that."

Amber looked up at him. "You mean when they tied you down in the ambulance, right? Daryl, there is NO way they reset your shoulder while you were awake. They put you under for that. You must have it mixed up."

He shook his head. "Trust me, girl, I don't. I ain't never hurt like that before. They tied me down, two big assholes grabbed my good arm while the doc jumped on the bed and grabbed the other one. Took'em two or three tries. Felt like they was pullin it apart."

Amber's stomach rolled as he perfectly described what she had helped do many times before in her years as a paramedic. Except all her patients had been unconscious. "That doesn't make sense! Why..." she hesitated and then her face went hard. "Daryl, who was there when you were wheeled in? That we know? And don't dare lie to me."

Daryl was starting to put two and two together himself. "Don't get upset, girl, the baby needs ya t'stay calm."

"Tell. Me."

"Norm came in with me. Merle..."

"And let me guess, my daddy?"

He nodded.

"That self righteous bastard. He had them TORTURE you?!"

"I deserved it..."

"NO you didn't! Don't say that!" her voice began to rise and she took a second to calm herself. Daryl sat back on the bed at her side, hand over her stomach.

"Girl, our baby almost died. You could have died. Because I was bein a prick. What he did was no different than Sarge's beat down."

Amber wiped the tears away from her lashes and took a deep breath. "No, Daryl. You're wrong. You never hit me. And Daddy had no right."

"Whether I deserved it or not, it's done. And ya cain't be sittin here cryin and shakin, a'ight? Peach don't need that and neither do you." He smoothed his hand up and down her back and kissed her cheek. "Ya gonna be alright for me ta shower or ya want me to wait."

Baby Girl smirked up at him. "Go ahead, stinky." Daryl rolled his eyes as she continued. "Me and Peach will just hang out here and try to calm down."

He kissed the top of her head and finished undressing before heading into the bathroom. Amber waited a minute after he got under the water before picking up her phone and dialing one of her contacts.

"Hey, Mama. Do you know where Daddy is right now?...The clubhouse working? Will you tell him that his daughter wants him to swing by her house as soon as he can? ...Yes, everything's fine. Why? Well, I guess it would be good if you knew what the president was up to also..."

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By the time Barry's bike roared over the dam it was dark and Daryl was out of the shower, dressed in his motorcycle sleep pants and curled around his wife. He sat up at the noise, wincing, and peeked out of the window over his bed.

"It's ya daddy." he looked down at her suspiciously, "Girl?"

Amber stayed quiet, climbing off the end of the bed. She made her way into the living room, opening the door before her father could knock. "Hey Daddy!" she said brightly, surprising the hell out of both men. "Come in!"

He followed her into the living room, giving Daryl a glare. Daryl just looked at Amber, wondering where this was going. She sat on the couch, relaxing back and patting the seat next to her for Daryl with a grin. He sat, seeing the ice flash just under the surface of her eyes. She didn't ask her father to sit, just letting him lean in the doorway with his thick arms crossed over his chest.

"Everything alright, Pooshie? Your mama said you needed to see me."

Amber shook her head. "No, daddy. It seems everything isn't alright. A DEMON has shown his ass and I want it stopped."

Daryl's head whipped around and his eyes widened. Barry grinned coldly and cracked his knuckles. "I agree, Pooshie. I'll get a couple of brothers together and..."

Amber put her hand up. "Oh NO daddy! I didn't mean HIM!" she motioned toward Daryl. Then she leaned forward and Daryl saw the ice she was hiding come to the forefront as she looked at her father. "I meant you!"

His jaw dropped open. "What? I didn't..." he narrowed his eyes at Daryl and began to speak but his daughter cut him off.

"DON'T even! He didn't rat you out, didn't even know he was supposed to be put under to reset his shoulder. You had him TORTURED!"

Barry regained his composure. "Hell, yeah I did! He hurt you!"

"He never physically laid a finger on me, and that is the only thing the beat down rules apply to. This wasn't even a beat down. It was you using your power to get even, like a CHILD! This WAS NOT club business. I know in regards to the club he's a soldier and you're his commanding officer. But HERE," she motioned to the walls around them. "is our HOME, and you have NO jurisdiction here." She kept her voice even, knowing Daryl would stop her short if she seemed upset. "He is your son in law, your granddaughters FATHER. You have no RIGHT to do this shit. And if anything ELSE happens in retribution for the other night, your grandchild will be out of diapers before you lay eyes on her face in person."

"Girl!" Daryl whispered. She ignored him.

"You think I was mad at you when you almost hit me in the meeting room that time? That was nothing. The way things are right now, you are not welcome in my home. I MIGHT reconsider sometime before this baby comes, I might NOT. Good BYE!"

She waved her hand at him dismissively. Barry opened his mouth to speak to her but then reconsidered, turning to Daryl. "Let me know when you feel like doing runs again. Babies ain't cheap, boy."

"I will." he answered. Then the president left, the door slamming behind him. He had scarcely cranked his bike when Amber spoke, rising and taking Daryl's hand.

"Come on, Desperado, let's go back to bed. I'm tired."

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_Four weeks later_

Amber and Daryl sat together in those same familiar pink vinyl chair for the first time since her initial pregnancy appointment. This time was much different though. Daryl sat back in his seat, one ankle on the opposite knee with his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against his shoulder (now much improved) while stroking her growing belly with her fingers.

"Yer spoilin'er already." Daryl said against the top of Baby Girl's head with a small smirk.

"Said the man who sleeps all night with his hand on her."

Before Daryl could come up with a retort the nurse opened the door to the back.

"Mrs. Dixon?"

A few minutes later they were in one of the obstetrics rooms, Baby Girl already being thoroughly blood pressured and weighed. She had been allowed to keep her shorts, this visit not including a vaginal exam, to both her and Daryl's relief. They didn't wait long on the midwife.

"Amber! You are looking good! Much better than when I saw you in the hospital last month." she said, sitting her ever present laptop in it's spot on the counter.

"I'm feeling better!" she agreed. Daryl scooted his chair next to the exam table, taking her hand. The midwife took notice but didn't say anything, just giving Amber a knowing smile before having her lay back on the table. Her shirt was pulled up and then she measure her belly from pubic bone to the top edge of the bump. Daryl frowned when the midwife pressed the tape in with her fingers a little too hard for his liking.

"Don't worry, Daddy." the midwife said, not looking up. "This kid's got plenty of padding."

"Yeah, well jus be careful."

Amber giggled, squeezing his hand. "She IS a midwife, baby. She does this all day."

"It's alright." she spoke up. "It's nice to see him getting into this."

Daryl blushed, looking at the floor. "Had t'get my head outta my ass, I guess."

The midwife compared the measurement from the tape with a card in her pocket. "You are seventeen and a half weeks as of today. You're measuring almost twenty weeks."

"So she's big?" Amber asked, "Or I'm eating too much?"

"Ya AINT eatin too much. Ya growin a PERSON for Christ's sake." Daryl interrupted.

The midwife laughed. "Actually, I have to agree with Daddy on this one. Your weight gain is fine. I suspect that the measurement is off because your bone structure is so small. There just isn't a whole lot of space for this kid to hang out before starting to make her presence known. You'll probably measure big the whole pregnancy. We'll be dependent on ultrasound to make sure she's growing like she should."

She prepped the machine and then Amber's belly, now that she was far enough along for the scan to be done abdominally. Daryl propped himself on his elbows next to Amber's head. As far as he was concerned, he had missed enough. A few moments into the scan the midwife turned the screen toward them and Daryl stopped breathing for a second.

This wasn't what Daryl was expecting. He had anticipated a larger version of the blob and flicker, having been unconscious during Amber's previous ultrasound at the hospital. This...this was a BABY, even in his untrained eyes. Little round head outlined, facial profile clear and every vertebrae in her tiny back visible. Then a small hand came up, shoving a thumb into her mouth. At that Daryl couldn't NOT speak.

"JESUS, Baby Girl, did ya see that? Did ya? She's suckin'er thumb already!"

Amber grinned, squeezing his hand. "Yep. I saw." Daryl's eyes left the screen for just a second, giving her a grin. Then he had eyes only for his daughter, while listening intently to the midwife.

"This little girl is measuring great! Her head circumference is right along her gestational age, and her belly diameter is actually a week ahead. Her over all length is measuring a week behind," she saw the worried look cross Daryl's features and hurriedly finished. "but considering how petite her mother is, that's going to be just how she's built."

Daryl's brow furrowed, "Petite?" he grinned widely then, giving Amber a mischievous look. "Oh, ya mean she's gonna be short like'er mama?"

Amber swatted at the back of his head while he dodged, chuckling. And on the screen, a little flicker turned Peach happily sucked away on her thumb.

I feel like some happy, fluffy preggo chapters. I bet you guys do too after all that angst we just overdosed on! And of course, we'll have some preggo smut (one of the two FAVORITE types of smut of the Dirty Little Whores club) If there is any kind of pregnancy related situation you would like to see Daryl and Amber in (sexually related or not) shoot me a pm and I'll try to make it happen! I make NO promises concerning requests (you wouldn't BELIEVE some of the stuff Kaye and I have gotten) but I will do my best to include everything I can and tag you in the authors note!


	12. Yes'm

**Long smut chapter! It's been a while. I think it's time we push some limits. Some sex acts in here may not be everyone's cup of tea, you have been warned. But turn about is fair play, right?**

Daryl unlocked the front door, automatically stepping to the side to avoid the large white rocket that bounded past him. Sugar had been in the house ever since they left for the midwife appointment that morning and that was long enough as far as she was concerned. Amber laughed as the dog streaked by, then walking in herself. She set the small styrofoam container on the counter and then spoke.

"What do you want me to lay out for supper? Usually when we eat at the IHOP we have enough leftovers to pick at later but for some reason we don't this time."

Daryl shrugged as he slipped off his vest and lay his keys on the counter. He made sure to turn his head so Baby Girl didn't see the smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. She may not know why they didn't have as many leftovers as usual but he did. Amber had demolished her platter of chicken and waffles (the appointment had been early so they decided that a late morning breakfast was in order afterward) before eyeing Daryl's last two pancakes longingly. He had caught her and just slid them over onto her plate as he grinned. He wasn't going to dare bring her renewed appetite up though. Daryl had learned enough in the last two years to not make stupid mistakes like that.

He caught Amber around the waist from behind, hands carefully cupping her belly as he propped his chin on her head. She leaned back against him, stepping back a bit from where she had set some frozen pork chops in the sink to thaw.

"What are you doing Desperado?" she asked.

"M'tryin ta decide if I'm still pissed about what ya said before we left the doctor's."

Amber giggled. "You were embarrassed not mad."

"Both. Did ya have ta tell'er about all that shit we do while we fuck?"

She snorted and shook her head, pulling Daryl into the living room to sit on the couch. He pulled her down to straddle his lap, doing a poor job of maintaining his scowl. Her nose wrinkled as she smiled at him innocently.

"Just needed to know what was okay for us do to right now. When she said I could have sex I knew she didn't realize what that meant for us. Besides, she said I wasn't the first of her patients to ask about it."

Daryl shook his head, hands sliding up and down her thighs where they rested on either side of his hips. It was midsummer and considering how more and more of her wardrobe was out of the question as she grew, Amber had opted that morning for a pair of short knit black gym shorts and a tank top in her color.

"Still don't make me feel better, girl. 'sides, we coulda held off on that shit till Peach comes."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "Oh no, Desperado. I'm in my second trimester, which means I'm no longer sick. And I want..." she paused for a minute in thought "stuff...things...and now that I'm off bedrest I can get them. She said I can do everything we did before except for the choking." Baby Girl shifted a little in Daryl's lap, it was getting obvious that he was wanting some "stuff and things" too. They had handled the last month well, much like they had her recovery from the rape and his from Kip's attack. A couple of blowjobs and some handjobs in the shower but Daryl could tell Amber was practically squirming with need. He was pretty needy himself, between him acting like a dick and then her being on bedrest it had been a couple months since they both had been able to really let go.

He pushed her tank top up above her belly, running his hand over the soft skin.

"Ya didn't tell me ya was done feelin'er move." He watched his knuckles ghost over the spot where his daughter was hidden.

"I'm not really sure yet, I just told her I thought I was when the midwife asked me today. It's weird, like gas bubbles or a butterfly."

He nodded slowly, laying his palm over the curve. "And it'll still be a while before I can feel'er?"

"Couple of weeks, maybe a little more."

He looked at her belly. "Ya need ta go t'sleep, Peach. I got shit I want ta do to yer mama."

Amber laughed and playfully pushed at his chest. "You big dummie! She can't tell what we're doing, awake or not. Now quit worrying and take your bitch to bed."

Daryl grinned up at her. "Yes ma'am." His right arm slid under her ass and the left around her back as he stood. Amber frowned and wiggled against him.

"Put me down, baby. Your shoulder..."

"S'fine. Using m'right ta hold ya up." He pulled her in with his hand on her back and dropped his head to crush his lips to hers for a second before pulling back just enough to speak against them. "Been fuckin forever since I carried ya."

Amber nodded, hooking her arms around his neck and her legs finding their home around his hips. His boots thudded down the hall to their bedroom and then kicked open the already cracked door to the bedroom. Usually he would have thrown her own the bed but now instead he just sat her firmly, then straightening up to jerk off his shirt. The bruises had faded but were still visible, making him look even stronger and rougher. She pushed back on the bed as he toed off his boots and crawled up her body. Daryl kept his weight off her body, remaining on his elbows and knees as he closed his eyes and buried his face in her neck. Amber jerked when his scruff made contact and then drug down her chest, his nose ending up in her cleavage.

"Fuck, ya smell good..." he murmured against her flesh before licking a stripe over the top of one swell.

"Like water?" she giggled, squirming.

Daryl nodded but then sniffed her jaw thoughtfully. "An' that damn strawberry syrup ya always ruin ya pancakes with."

That would have earned him a swat had he not been sitting back on his heels between her legs. She pushed up on her elbows as he edged her shirt up, the pink top ending up in the floor. The bra was one of her new ones that had been ordered when she outgrew her usual ones a couple weeks before. White lace was so soft that Daryl's calloused hands snagged it as he ran one around to undo it with a practiced pinch. Then she was free, Daryl nearly drooling as he bent over her body, swallowing. He glanced up at her face, eyes darkening.

"They're bigger..." he stated the obvious, knuckles gliding down the side of a swollen globe. Size wasn't the only change, her nipples had deepened in color from pale pink to rose and now jutted out further. "They still sore?" he asked, carefully palming one weight, the flesh spilling over his fingers.

Amber shook her head. "Not like they were. Just more sensitive now."

"Sensitive huh?" Daryl lowered his head, keeping eye contact as his tongue flashed out to slide over an already tightening bud. She gasped, back arching instantly as her eyes slammed shut. This just gave him better access. Daryl braced himself on one arm above her. Baby Girl's nails bit into his triceps as he slid his other hand up her now curved back to hold her in place against his mouth. He latched on, suckling gently.

She shuddered underneath him, Daryl gradually becoming a bit rougher before switching to the other side. He could smell her arousal now, her hips bucking up, desperate for friction. He drew the pink peak in between his front teeth, using them to pin it still while his tongue assaulted it. His hand slid out from under her back, letting her drop to the bed as he went with her. There was no chance of her moving away, her body was fighting to get as close as it could, one of her hands pulling at his hair the way that drove him nuts. Now that one hand was free he began to work the other side in the same rhythm as his mouth on the other.

Amber dug her heels into the bed, lightening shooting from his mouth and hand to her core. He found himself wondering what it was going to taste like after the baby came and her milk came in. He had to admit, when the midwife had asked her if she was planning on nursing and Amber said she was, a part of his brain (and some other parts of his body) had perked up in interest. How her body could taste any better Daryl didn't know, but he was damn sure eager to find out. He growled around her and she came undone, body quaking as his name escaped her lips in a low moan. Seconds later her eyes popped open to see him hovering over her, a goofy grin on his face.

"Did ya cum JUST from me suckin yer tits? Are ya fuckin kiddin me?"

Amber just looked at him wide eyed, breath heaving. Daryl quickly shoved his hand down her shorts and panties, eager to test for evidence himself. He found her panties and the crotch of her shorts soaked, the slick flesh between her legs still quivering and jerking.

"Jesus Christ..." he muttered, ripping the wet clothing down her legs in a single swift movement. He wasn't about to let this new development go unexplored. Sensitive wasn't the word, and he hoped whatever it was had translated to other parts. She found herself jerked to the edge of the bed, Daryl hitting his knees on the hardwood floor. He grasped her behind her thighs, setting her toes on the edges of his shoulders so that she fell open before him. Her smooth hairless skin glistened with wet, the pink inside darkened and swollen. It made his mouth water the same way her breasts had. He held her open for a moment with his finger and thumb, eyes hungrily taking in what was his before his mouth followed suit.

He lapped at her, finding the wet and drinking her down. He avoided her clit for the moment, moving down to dive into her core. She writhed beneath him, making unintelligible sounds as her hands twisted in the bedsheets. He followed her wet even further down, unashamed in his lust. He circled the tighter of her two holes, making her gasp and then pop her head up as she said his name with a shocked tone. He just chuckled evilly against her as he looked up her body.

"Yer all mine, Baby Girl, every bit of ya..." he declared, just before sinking his teeth into the bottom of a plump cheek. She loosed a sharp cry and her head fell back, all control lost. He moved slowly back up to her clit, circling the engorged bead but never getting close enough to touch it directly. Amber whimpered and pleaded to no avail until finally deciding to pull out the big guns.

"Daddy, please!"

Daryl had pondered over the last month how exactly that word was going to feel during sex now that he really was someone's daddy. If it would be lost to them now that it had a deeper meaning. He needn't have worried, Amber's tone jolting him into action. Just the same way that hurt and HURT were two totally different things, so now were daddy and DADDY. Daryl gave her what she needed, tip of his tongue firm and fast, sliding over and over the nub. Amber shrieked, bowing her body unto a half sit, the nails of one hand scratching trails into the back of his neck as the other hand was thrust back behind her on the bed to hold herself up. She came hard, losing her voice to high pitched choked keens as she stiffened beneath him. Daryl kept working her and she moved to push his head away, overstimulated. He caught her wrists in one of his fists and wedged his shoulders between her thighs as they tried to close. He sucked then, pinning her clit in place as he had her nipple. His other hand came just under where his mouth worked, sinking two thick middle fingers into her core. It was obvious this was one of those times he was going to push her, see just how far he could take her body even as she left her mind behind for a while. He fucked her hard with his hand and mouth, while she fought and shrieked, begging him to stop and begging him to not in the same breath.

Then suddenly she went silent, though her body told him enough. Every muscle tensed, pussy tightening down over his fingers and clit throbbing in his mouth. He glanced up and what he saw would have frightened him into stopping if he hadn't seen her do it once before, about six months before while choking her with his belt. Her eyes were wide, staring straight up into the ceiling as tears rolled down her face. It was contorted in a silent scream, voice stolen from her for the moment. Then she let her breath out in a strangled gasp and he released her, knowing this was as far as she could go.

Amber relaxed down, body boneless, trembling and seeming to nearly sink into the bed. Daryl dropped her legs and crawled hurriedly up her, using an arm behind her back to turn them the right way in the bed. Her eyes were closed now, though he knew she wasn't asleep. This was that place she went to after moments like that. He pushed his jeans and boxers off and then just waited for Baby Girl to come back to him, kissing every tear from her face as his hand smoothed over her body, spending extra time loving where that part of him rested inside her. He had spent months selfishly ignoring her, and now would be patient for his own release.

After a few minutes her eyes fluttered open and she smiled softly at him. He smirked back, hand laid against the side of her face.

"Ya good?"

Her smile widened and she nodded. "Better than good, Desperado. Your turn." She pushed against his shoulder, following him over as he went onto his back. This was different, a fire sparking in her eyes. Usually after he would make her cum like that she would be exhausted, sated, letting him take her how he wished. He just chalked it up to her pregnant state and went with it. That fire she held had never left him unsatisfied.

She straddled his stomach, kissing him lazily for a bit before tonguing through his scruff and nipping her way down his neck. Her now dripping wet skimmed over the head of his cock and he fought not to thrust, though it would have been so easy, just a twist and push of his hips and he would be in heaven.

Instead he let his hands wander over her body, now mostly for his own benefit. Baby Girl had always been all soft curves against his hard planes but the difference was even more pronounced now, his hands filled with her. She was still small, so small, against him but he found himself wanting to take his hands and squeeze, pinch, and smack. He did just that when her teeth sunk into his shoulder for a second, his hand stinging her ass. Amber stiffened against him and then moaned while he kneaded the now red spot.

Amber progressed down his chest, nuzzling her way through his hair and over to a nipple. He expected her to suck but instead she nipped, making him jump and then curse. She just laughed against him and then traced her tongue over the throb, showing him he wasn't the only one who could make the hurt so good. Daryl could feel the power in the situation changing from him to her and he let it go. She didn't take control nearly as much as he did, but when she did it was freeing for him.

She was over his stomach now, breasts moving over his cock in a way that had him twisting his hips. Baby Girl looked up at him before sliding down, engulfing his cock to the back of her throat and then coming back up, making sure he was extra wet. Then she took her breasts in her hands, surrounding him with them and began to move, letting him slide in between. Daryl groaned through clenched teeth, his hips beginning to buck up of their own accord. He had only titty fucked her a hand full of times in their two years together and it was extra good considering the changes her body had going on. Amber froze and he looked down.

"Stop moving Daryl. Let me do it. And I want you to watch."

The fire was raging fully in her green and gold now, Daryl falling down to that place she had been only minutes before. A place where he could just feel, no thought necessary, just blind submission and need.

"Yes'm."

It fell out of his mouth easily. He was hers just as much as she was his. And after spending the last couple of months not feeling, he wanted to be broken down, be returned to what was right and rebuilt again. That meant giving it all over. Baby Girl began moving again, Daryl pushed up on his elbows, eyes moving over her soft flesh surrounding his cock. He was already dripping pre-cum and she dropped her head down, letting him slide between her lips so she could lick it away. He groaned, hands tightening into fists, keeping himself from thrusting or grabbing her hair and pushing down. She took him close and he prayed she would let him cum like that, despite knowing that probably wasn't the case. True to form, just as he felt it building she stopped, her breasts moving away and her hand circling the base of his cock firmly, helping him hold it back. After a moment she addressed him. "You alright?"

"Yes'm." he managed to gasp out, despite every cell in his body telling him otherwise. He wanted to go but knew better, knew what would happen if he waited. The longer he lingered the better it was.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, eyeing him seriously. That question only ever came up when they tried something new.

"Yes'm."

"Do you know I won't hurt you?"

"Yes'm."

There was no other answer. Daryl gave in and let her have it. He had no idea what she was going to do but this was Baby Girl. She owned him, body and soul.

Amber dropped her head again, warm mouth on his cock. Daryl watched, not having yet been told he could look away. He couldn't have if he wanted to. She was so fucking pretty like this, hair spread across her back and his thighs, mouth wrapped around him. One of her soft cool hands working his balls. She paused for a minute, coming off his cock long enough to stick one middle finger in her mouth to wet it before going down again. Daryl didn't even register she had done something different, lost in the sensation. That hand moved down below where the other worked, and began to stroke that spot behind his balls that seemed to be a center of nerves. He gasped and she looked up.

"Close your eyes Daryl. Just lay back and trust me."

He did it, moving his hands to grip the headboard as he shifted his legs a little farther apart to give her room. Her finger up under his nuts was stroking firmer now, in time with her mouth and it felt so damn good...

He was lost in sensation as the that finger slowly wandered lower. Only when it actually brushed over his asshole did he realize what she was planning. His own fear and shock ripped him out of subspace, planting him firmly back in his own head in an instant. Daryl jerked his hips away from her and came indignantly up on his elbows.

"What the fuck, Amber? Don't start that shit! I'm not a fag!"

She looked up at him, the offending hand now stroking his thigh as if to calm him. She looked as if she expected him to respond like that.

"I didn't say you were, baby. Last time I checked, I was a girl."

"Then don't do that! Damn!"

"Then I guess you can't eat me out anymore then."

He cocked an eyebrow either. "What the hell does that have ta do with anythin?"

"Because that's how lesbians have sex and I'm not a lesbian."

He stared at her. Amber held his gaze passively. His problem with this was one of two things. Either this was just a new thing that he had never tried and was apprehensive. In that case, she was prepared to push him. Or this lead back to his abuse when he was a boy. She knew if that was the case, then Daryl needed to take it back, like she had everything after her rape. But it had to be his choice, not hers.

"Do you trust me?"

"Dammit, it ain't that and ya know it!"

"Answer the question Daryl. Yes...or no. Do you trust me enough right now to let me do this? Either answer is okay. You know that."

He sighed shakily, reaching out with one hand to run his fingertips down the side of his face. She felt his fear, but there was want under it too. Want to let go and just feel, something he could only do with her. When he finally spoke, it was so low she almost didn't hear it.

"Yes'm."

She nodded, reaching up to grab the lube off the nightstand. He caught her wrist, eyes already going soft again as he relaxed already at his submission. "Don't tell NOBODY. Ya daddy and Norm'll take my goddamn patch." He gave her a smirk, his humor gentling the situation. She pecked the end of his nose and then began to move back down his body.

"Don't worry baby. I won't tell anyone I made you my bitch."

**So, do y'all want the rest of this scene or do you want it just implied? Yeah, she gets in his ass. I ran this by the Dirty Little Whores club a while back and they were all for it! No pegging with a strap on or anything, just some gentle finger prostate play. I would def make Daryl my bitch, and I would make him like it. If you want it, let me know!**


	13. Freed through Submission

"Don't worry baby, I won't tell anyone I made you my bitch."

Daryl just nodded and lay one arm over his eyes, opening his knees for her. It would be a lie if he said his heart wasn't pounding with fear. It wasn't a fear of her hurting him, but of everything he had pushed down about his childhood coming to the surface. He had told Amber that day in the hospital but he still carried it, the dreams were enough evidence of that. She had released everything about her rape, letting Daryl take her body back to the pleasure it had before and beyond. He had carried his pain for so much longer.

Her hands slid up and down his thighs for a moment and then they left. He heard the bottle of lube open and then her head bent down, mouth warm on his cock. Her left found his balls again and he willed himself back down, back to the place where it was all sensation and no thought, no will of his own.

Then he felt her right hand again, directly below his nuts, this time a middle finger cool and slick with lube. The feeling was foreign in that spot and he frowned a little, not in discomfort but just processing the feeling. But it began to stroke, hitting that spot from the outside and it felt so...damn...good... Warm wet mouth around his cock, her tongue doing that thing it did on the bottom side while her left hand rolled and tugged gently below. He relaxed again, his face passive and mouth open a little. Baby Girl must have been watching him because a second later the cool slick began to travel down slowly, rubbing along nerve endings that hadn't held pleasure like that before. She took her time, just stroking and stopping in one spot for a moment if she felt him tense even a little.

Then she was there, circling over his asshole, just stroking and pressing to get him used to being touched there like he had done for her before. It felt better than Daryl expected and he couldn't help but let go a quiet "Fuck." as his hands tightened a little on the slats of the headboard. Her mouth came off his cock and he nearly protested until it switched places with her left hand, tongue swirling over his balls as she began to jerk him. It wasn't as efficient as her right hand but that one was busy. He felt her press at his entrance and forced himself to relax. Amber hesitated a little and the words just rushed out of his mouth in a torrent of need.

"Jesus, Baby Girl. Do it...please..."

She pressed ahead and slipped in. It wasn't painful, just an intrusion that his body was quite sure what to make of.

"You okay?" she asked, before beginning to roll his balls one by one with her mouth.

"Fuck yeah." he gasped out. She pressed forward and he anticipated what she had described to him as a 'sweet stretching burn' but it didn't come. Daryl wondered a minute and then realized why. Her hands were small.

"Baby Girl...can...can ya use two?"

She looked up at him in shock and then smirked. This was exactly what Daryl needed and he was letting her take him. She obliged, second finger slipping next to the other with some resistance.

He sighed in pleasure then, nearly shivering. There it was, she had named the feeling perfectly. Sweet stretching burn...Good Lord...what he had feared only minutes before now felt so good his body was trying to find a way to push down farther on her hand.

She was in up to her knuckles, and then began to stroke. As much as Daryl was out of his head at the moment, Baby Girl was solidly in hers. Concentrating, making both hands and her mouth work in tandem to make sure Daryl got as much pleasure out of this as possible. And she was searching. This wasn't just about getting in his ass, she needed to find that "spot" she had read about. Front wall...stroke...and...

There was no doubt when she did find it. He nearly came off the bed, a shocked cry ripping from his throat and the headboard creaking as the muscles in his arms flexed. She quickly switched up her mouth and left hand again, swallowing his cock down to the back of her throat.

Daryl wasn't quite sure if he was in heaven or hell. It all felt so good, his dick, balls and ass just one bundle of raw nerves that she was playing. But he had NEVER needed to cum SO BAD before. The second she ran her fingertips over that spot inside him stars erupted in front of his eyes and it felt like she had hit him with a live wire. Once she found it Amber didn't let up either, stroking it over and over as she bobbed on his cock.

"Mother FUCK!" he yelled, finally feeling the pressure building, now all through his pelvis. Then it released, suddenly and violently like the snap of his bowstring when he pulled the trigger. It wasn't pain and couldn't rightly be called pleasure without being a gross understatement. It was just RELEASE, pure and primal.

Daryl roared and shuddered, cumming longer than he could ever remember doing before, Amber swallowing him down as he tightened and jerked around her fingers. She kept up until he would give her no more and then slipped from his body, spent member wet and twitching against his stomach. She just lay for a little while on him, cheek against his quivering belly as her man floated in that place where he found his peace, a place only his Baby Girl could take him to.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU TW

**_That night_**

_Daryl was back there, blue sheetrock walls clammy against his back. Daddy walked in the room in all his sweat stained alcoholic glory, belt dangling from a fist. He stopped only inches in front of him, breath fetid and nauseating._

_"Gonna hurt ya, boy, and I'm gonna love every minute of it." he promised, with a grin that was coldly terrifying. "Gonna make ya wish ya'd never told'er, never even let that little bitch touch ya."_

_Daryl's arms and legs felt like lead, his jaw locked in fear. Daddy brought the belt back..._

_"NO!" They both jumped at the voice from behind Daddy's shoulder. The elder Dixon turned and Daryl saw her, Baby Girl standing there, belly heavy. It must have been close to time. He panicked, she didn't need to be here where Daddy could hurt her and Peach._

_"What'd you say ta me, WHORE?" Daddy asked, incredulous._

_The word didn't phase her. "I said no, you sick DEAD bastard. He's mine. You don't own any part of him, not anymore." She walked over, stepping between the two men as if to protect Daryl. He fought the bonds fear always put on him in this place harder than ever before. He had to protect her, protect the baby. Before he could move, though, she reached out and snatched the belt from Daddy's hand and brought it over her shoulder. It cracked forward and across Jeb Dixon's face, ratcheting his head back hard enough that Daryl saw blood spray out of his mouth as he went down on his ass. Amber towered over him with the same icy look he had last seen as she executed the Cannibal's at the clubhouse. And when she spoke again her words held a grim finality._

_"You can't ever hurt him again. Now go back to hell."_

_She brought the belt back down on Daddy as he cowered and when it made contact he was suddenly gone. Daryl's body was loosed in that same instant and he stepped forward, arms reaching around her shoulders as she dropped the belt to the floor with a clang. Daryl pulled her into his chest hard, the Angel he thought he had to protect being the one who finally set him free._

Then there was only rest and her.


	14. Only a Weapon

**This chapter is kinda short, but it sets up some stuff. I had to end it where I did to feed into the next chapter of Home Sweet Home!**

**Welcome to all our new folks who found this story by way of SOA loving moms SOA stories. Grab a glass of Tennessee Honey and set a spell!**

A _month later, Amber is five months pregnant._

"Ya sure ya want ta do this?" Daryl asked, sliding a hand protectively around Baby Girl's waist as they crunched across the gravel of the clubhouse parking lot.

She sighed. "Yes, baby. I'm sure. I've not been to the clubhouse in forever. And you know when they call the Angels into a meeting it's big shit." She pursed her lips and looked up at him. "Y'all didn't have to pull the smoking ban just because I was coming either."

Daryl pointedly looked away. "I didn't have a thing ta do with it, girl." That was a lie, but he knew that she knew it. Barry had made it known that since Amber was going to be at the clubhouse that night all smoking could be done outside AWAY from his grandchild. Norm and Daryl had merely threatened to kick anyone's ass that dared disobey. The president was trying desperately to get back in his daughter's good graces, which was also being evidenced by the boxes of baby items that were piling up in the nursery, all to Peach from "Papa Barry". The baby didn't have a real name yet, but she had tons of other things ranging from boxes of huge pink and black sparkly hairbows (that Daryl was pretty sure Deb had a hand in picking out) to a "rocking horse" that was a miniature replica of a Harley Davidson with pink flames. Daryl had frowned at that, vowing to get her one that was a Triumph, even if he had to make it himself.

It was still warm in Georgia, being the first week of October. Amber had opted for a strapless black maxidress and a pair of black mules with skyhigh cork wedges. Being pregnant hadn't swayed her love of heels and Daryl made sure to keep a hand on her no matter how steady she seemed. Her belly was obvious now, Peach becoming more wiggly by the day as she grew. Daryl had to take his wife's word on that though. The kid REFUSED to move when his hand was on Amber's stomach. She would remark that Peach was turning somersaults and grab his hand, only for his daughter to "play possum" as soon as he made contact. Even Deb and Kaye had felt her move. Amber told him it was because her father's presence soothed the baby. Daryl would snort, roll his eyes, and just declare it was because his daughter was a mean little smart ass like her mama. He liked it though, it was like he and Peach had their own little game going.

They stepped into the clubhouse, several Angel's pulling Amber away to exclaim over her bump. Daryl just headed for the bar, knowing she was in good hands. He grabbed himself a beer (his only one of the night, the amount he let himself drink before driving had halved when the precious cargo doubled) and Amber a bottled water. He figured she would bitch wanting a soda but she'd also get over it. The midwife had told her to lay off the caffeine and Baby Girl had already had her mug of hazelnut latte at breakfast that morning. As he made his way back to her Norm caught his eye from across the main room, jerking his head toward the meeting room as Kaye followed behind. Daryl nodded and found Baby Girl, extracting her and her now celebrity status belly from the circle of women. He handed her bottle of water over, ignoring her frown.

"C'mon. They're waitin on us."

He led her to the meeting room, taking his seat next to Merle at the end opposite Barry. Norm sat to the pres's right as SAA, Jim to the left as VP. A couple other members filled out the spots, Ram, Viper, and Oscar among them. It must have been some big shit meeting, this was the first time since the infamous "Angel's meeting" that everyone's old lady (if they had one) was allowed in to stand behind them. Daryl tried to not look shocked at Carol standing behind Jim. Everyone knew they had been dating for the last couple of months but assumed it wasn't serious. He didn't fault her, Ty had been dead over a year before they had been seen together.

Barry called everyone to order with a quick "Shut the fuck up.". Apparently things were bad enough to not stand on tradition. Daryl twisted his fidget band, wincing as he forgot about the bruise it was hiding. He had gotten a little pull happy the day before on the leather shackles they had been using during playtime. He also noted some rope burns on Sarge's arms and approved. If Kaye wanted to get back with the man that was up to her, but she needed to make him sweat. Daryl wouldn't have faulted her if she had tied him up just so she could beat him with a broom handle, with no sex involved. Norm was recovering, and Daryl understood the why of what he had done a little more since his own screw up. It still didn't mean they didn't have to walk a fine line.

Barry gave a quick overview of the shit the Irish were pulling for those present who didn't already know. Daryl was sore pressed to imagine who didn't though. The bastards were constantly demanding more shipments come through. That didn't include the Patriots who were needing more C4. That was the one that had Daryl nervous. Guns were one thing, but explosives over the border? That would earn them all life for being damn terrorists if it came out the wrong way. Then Norm detailed what the Irish had been demanding in way of hits, his eyes never leaving the top of the table, Kaye's hand constantly on his shoulder. It was no more than what he had admitted during the fight in Daryl's own front yard, but hearing it around the table, that gave it even more solemn weight. He finally looked up.

"They just sent word, want another hit in a couple days, Tennessee. Some music mogul out of Nashville used some guns of theirs for security. He got sloppy and some traced back to Belfast. The McPricks want it handled by our archer."

Daryl nodded, putting his hand over Amber's where it rested on his chest. "I got it."

Norm shook his head. "I'll do it, just like the others..."

"No!" Daryl interrupted, leaning forward. "This is MY job, I'm the one they want doing it. I can protect our family just like everyone else here. It's one guy..."

"It's his WIFE, boy." Norm dropped that bomb quickly.

Daryl swallowed, wanting to turn and look up at Baby Girl, but to do so at the table in that moment would make him look weak. "And we all know what happens if I don't, right?"

Nods went around the table. The Irish outnumbered them five to one, even if they called in every DEMONS charter in the south. It would be a massacre.

"Then I'll do it." Daryl said gravely.

"Not alone." Norm answered.

"Why? You did!"

"Actually I took my buddies Blow and Jack Daniels. And how exactly did that work out for my family?" Norm shot back.

Merle chimed in. "He's right, bro. Just cause ya gonna do it don't mean ya do it alone. Me n'Sarge'll go with ya."

Daryl shook his head, looking down at the table. "Fine then. But the hit is mine.

"We're hoping it'll be the last for a while." Barry said, trying to smooth the situation out.

"Bullshit." Jim said. "Those Paddies got us under their thumb and they're just gonna take it easy on us? They just keep asking for more until we cant physically keep up. Then it all comes down on our heads, either the Feds or the fucking Shamrocks."

"There might be another way." Norm said, taking a look at Kaye. Barry nodded at her in permission to speak. She told everyone of how she had been given a vote as the last remaining Blake by blood. That much Daryl and Merle already knew. But then she went into how she had leveled the field, demanding a favor in return from her uncle Marcus, now President of Le Mechant. Amber felt Daryl grow more and more tense under her hand, even as his came up to cover hers as if to comfort. By the time Kaye finished he was practically vibrating.

"...so I could call them in if the Irish stage something, if we get word they are on their way. We have our long term agreement with the SONS also. Between them and Le Mechant we would have a chance."

"A chance?" Daryl said, incredulous "For

what? Ain't no DAMN WAY I'm lettin those French bastards..."

"Philip is DEAD, boy." Norm said flatly, knowing exactly where he was going. "You made sure of that yourself, same way I did with Martinez. Every man that was involved two years ago is scattered from here to Tybee Island. You think I like this any better than you? But it's all we got. All we got to protect them ALL!"

Daryl ran a hand through his hair and scoffed bitterly, then looked to Merle. The elder Dixon glanced at Amber. Her face was unreadable. She wouldn't disrespect the table, or her husband.

"So we vote." Barry began. "If and only if it becomes necessary, we call in Le Mechant. Aye, Nay, or Abstain. Let me remind EVERYONE that this vote stands and any retribution based on a patches vote will be sorely punished. As president, my vote is Aye."

Norm: "Aye"

Jim: "Aye"

Oscar: "Aye"

Ram: "Aye"

Merle: "...Abstain."

Daryl: "Nay." as a growl, with no hesitation.

The next five went to "Aye."

"The ayes have it. We will call on Le Mechant if we have to. Runs will continue for now as well as the other jobs. Daryl, Merle, Norm, that hit is next week. Do what you have to. Dismissed."

One by one DEMONS and their Angels filed out quietly until Amber and Daryl were left alone with Norm and Kaye. Norm stood and Daryl spoke to him.

"How can you do it? After what they did to them?" he asked quietly. Two years before, maybe even one he would have been raging. Now he was confused, bewildered, but holding it together.

Now put his arm around Kaye and pulled her into his chest. "I just look at'em like another weapon. If somebody was after Baby Girl, gonna hurt her or the baby, would you give a fuck what gun or knife you had in your hand? Or would you just use it? Blow their brains out or gut them? That's all the French are to me, a weapon."

Daryl nodded. Norm and Kaye walked out and Daryl pulled Baby Girl down into his lap. "I'm so sorry." he said against her shoulder. She ran her hands through his hair.

"It's alright. Listen," she tugged on his hair until he looked up at her, eyes seeming older than his thirty six years. "He's right. They're just a weapon. And WHATEVER you have to do to protect our daughter, you are a GOOD MAN." She repeated the words she had spelled out for him after awakening from her coma and finding he had killed her brother. Daryl's hand went to her belly, a second later a thump registering under his palm. His daughter had made her vote known. Whatever it took for them to live...

Daryl put his head back down on Amber's shoulder for a while, trying to make sense of what was in his head. He would have to kill an innocent woman, to save the lives of countless others. And they would have to let an old enemy in the back door to have a chance against a new one coming in the front. It seemed like a long time but was only minutes before Peach shifted under his hand again.

"Better go let little bit meet some more of her Aunts. Kids a fuckin celebrity and ain't even drew a breath yet." he sighed.

Amber kissed the top of his head and nodded, pulling him out to the bar. Daryl sat next to Merle, Sarge on the far side. Amber made her way to the back, seeking out where the other Angels had gone.

"You alright?" Norm asked, leaning forward to look past Merle.

"Fuckin fantastic." Daryl replied bitterly.

"I see."

"Bro..." Merle began but Daryl put his hand up.

"I get it, a'ight? We ain't got no choice. But it don't mean I gotta like it."

"None of us do." Norm agreed, Merle nodding. He opened his mouth to speak was cut off by the sound of Barry kicking the back door to the firing range.

"GODDAMMIT DEBBIE! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Just the tone of his voice was enough to send the three men flying off their barstools and to the back. Before they even got to the door they could hear what sounded like the Angels screaming.

**Wanna know what's going on outside that door? Head on over to Home Sweet Home!**


	15. Too close to home

**I'm sorry for the delay, it was for a good reason I promise! It seems that the author was looking down the rabbit hole into her own AU and Queen Kaye reached up, grabbed me by the ankle and jerked me in! Baby Girl has absolutely no inclination to climb back out either. I'll just stay right where I'm at, my "Daddy" needs me!**

**This chapter is dedicated to him even though he'll never even know or read it. Like the song says "He" is showing me "how a real bad boy can be a real good man."**

Daryl threw his keys on the counter, cracking his neck as Baby Girl shut the door behind them and kicked her shoes off. He smirked at the five inches she instantly lost. Sugar nosed up under his hand and he scratched her head absent mindedly, the other hand reaching out to snag Amber's arm and tug her into his chest. She came readily, he needed her after how the vote had went at the table. His arms clutched at her hard, almost too hard and she pressed herself against him. Daryl felt like things were out of control, and they both knew the way for him to come back was to be in control over her.

After a minute Daryl released her, hands going down to fist the skirt of her maxi dress. He ripped it over her head, throwing it to the side before roughly grabbing her hips. A second later her feet left the floor, her legs wrapping around his waist. Daryl wrapped his right arm around Baby Girl's waist, levering her pelvis against his and nestling Peach snugly between them. His left hand shot up, fingers tightening in her hair to pull her head sharply over even as his boots thudded down the hall toward the bedroom. Daryl wasn't in the mood to kiss.

Tonight he needed to bite, to lose himself in the feel of soft flesh in his mouth and the tastes of copper and cool water on his tongue.

He sunk his teeth into her neck as they cleared the bedroom door. Sugar didn't even look up from the spot she had taken on the couch. Since the wedding Daryl had trained her to leave him the hell alone when he did shit to Baby Girl. All it had taken was a few well timed thumps on the nose for the dog to get the point. Daddy was allowed to do what the hell ever he wanted to Baby Girl as long as she enjoyed it.

Daryl bit her hard and Amber shuddered against him, her hands clutching at his now shoulder length hair. She pulled, making him growl and pull her tighter against his already rock hard erection that strained against his jeans. Then he slid her down, bare feet touching the floor. Daryl spun her with one hand on her hip, the other making quick work of the hooks on her bra. When it fell he pushed her down to bend over the bed, propped on her elbows so her belly rested safely against the covers. Daryl bent over her, placing his mouth next to her ear.

"Don't. Fuckin. Move." he snarled, voice promising much if she obeyed. Amber nodded, eyes half shut as she gave her body over to him. He stood back up, one rough hand moving firmly down her wings before coming back to land solidly on her ass. It was loud in the quiet of the bedroom and Baby Girl arched her back while pushing up on her toes, offering herself up for another. Instead her head was jerked roughly back by her hair.

"WHAT the fuck did I say, slut?"

Amber swallowed down the moan that bubbled up. "Not to move." she gasped.

"EXACTLY. Now do what I fuckin say or I will STOP." He released her hair, hand falling on the other side of her ass. This one was harder, leaving a deep red handprint. Amber fisted her hands in the covers next to her head, whimpering in pleasure. Then she heard his belt buckle and knew it was hopeless. There was no damn way she was going to be able to stay still once he started that. This was his new belt, a black one with a skull buckle that she had ordered the week before. She had fantasized about what it would feel like against her skin ever since she clicked the "order now" button. But instead of immediately striking her, the cold metal of the buckle touched the back of her neck as he dangled it, gliding down her spine and over the hot red flesh of her ass. Gooseflesh popped up and she fought the urge to shiver.

"What's wrong, Baby Girl?" he snickered evilly. "You want something?"

Amber growled into the bed.

That stupid smug fucker.

"Answer me, little girl." he said, Amber knowing he wouldn't give her what she wanted until she did.

"Hurt me." she gasped.

"Hurt me WHAT?" he countered.

"Hurt me, Daddy. Please?"

The next sound was leather contacting soft skin. Daryl was well practiced at this, hitting the sweet spot at the bottom of her ass while his other hand rested solidly on the small of her back to keep her still. Amber shrieked into the bed, wet flooding her core and the black g-string she wore. He hit her three more times in rapid succession, each one harder until the last left her trying to push her hips into the edge of the bed to get some friction on her swollen clit. Daryl moved back behind her, the zipper of his jeans purring a second before she felt him pull the g-string to the side. Then the swollen head of his cock nudged her pussy.

He gave her no time to adjust, ramming into her with one stroke. Amber screamed, hands scrabbling on the bed. Daryl hesitated for a moment once he was fully inside her. This would usually be where he would put the belt around her neck but that was out because of the baby. He smirked a second later, remembering how sensitive her nipples were now. He leaned over, sliding the belt around her chest, making sure it rested directly across the erect buds. She gasped when the leather rubbed over them and Daryl fastened the belt, the skull buckle resting at the middle of her spine. He twitched the belt a scant half inch and she keened.

"Ya like that, Baby Girl?" he asked, beginning to stroke deeply into her. She nodded, pushing back against him. Daryl began to twitch the belt in time with his thrusts and within seconds felt her beginning to tighten down around him. He knew he would be lost the second she went and didn't fight it, instead giving in to his baser urges. His stuck the thumb of his free hand in his mouth for a second and then brought it down to circle of her tight little asshole. Amber moaned, nodding her head in encouragement.

"Ya gonna cum hard for me?" he asked, teasing at the tight ring but not pressing forward.

"Yes...do it..." she begged wantonly.

He gave her what she wanted, broaching her ass up to the first knuckle and then tugging down. Then her wet flooded and she jerked even tighter around him as she screamed into the bed. Daryl roared, thrusting hard as he pulled back on the belt. When he came back to himself he was braced over her with one hand on the bed.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, kissing it sweetly while undoing the belt. He chuckled lowly when he pulled it out from under her and Amber gave a low drawn out "Fuuuuuuuuck." as the leather slid under her rosy peaks.

They ended up laying her back to his front, Sugar in her spot at their feet. Daryl's hand rested on Peach, occasionally feeling her flutter and bump under his palm. Apparently his daughter had decided her daddy needed to win their little game of possum that day. After a bit Amber slid her own hand over Daryl's.

"You're a good man." she repeated from earlier. "No matter what you do to protect our family."

Daryl buried his face in her hair, not answering. He wished he had the sureness that came so easily to his wife.

TWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAUTWDAU

_One week later, outside Nashville. 11:42 PM_

Daryl swung his leg over the Scrambler, immediately moving forward to unclip the bow. Norm and Merle dismounted on either side of him, double checking their guns. They had parked a block down from the service entrance of the mansion. Norm's contact with the Irish had supplied them with a floorplan of the house, noting that the music mogul was out of town and his wife would be alone and sleeping in the master bedroom at this time of night. They had also supplied the code to the security system.

The walk to the house was silent, there was nothing to be said. The plan had been settled for days. They approached the back door with Norm in the lead, all the weapons drawn and ready in case of any surprises. The SAA pressed the code into the panel next to the door and was rewarded by red lights turning to green. A few seconds later Merle had the locks open and they progressed into a huge darkened kitchen. Norm stopped at the door to the hallway, holding up his hand to signal a pause while he checked the hallway. It was clear and they headed up the stairs to stop at the second doorway on the left, which the floorplan indicated was the master bedroom. It wasn't shut all the way, Norm pressing it open the rest of the way to give Daryl room. They weren't going to step in, Daryl didn't need to in order to take the shot and it would just increase the chances of leaving behind evidence. The woman was a shadowed shape under the covers with her back to them, long blonde hair spilling onto the bed. Daryl immediately brought the loaded bow back up. He knew the longer he waited the harder this would be. He was just taking an extra breath to steady his aim before pulling the trigger when the target shifted in her sleep, rolling over to her other side to end up facing them. In that second, everything changed.

She was pregnant.

She was bigger than Amber, obviously near full term. Merle and Norm's eyes immediately shifted over to Daryl. His trigger finger wavered and he closed his eyes for a second, trying to will the cold hunter back to the forefront. All he could find however was how his daughter's kicks felt under his hands. Before he could open his eyes he felt a pressure push down on the bow. It was Merle, two fingers on the rail, shaking his head as he first looked at Norm and then at his brother. Daryl sought his commanding officers eyes. They were hardened and he also shook his head, turning to head back down the staircase. They didn't speak until they were back at the bikes.

"We ain't no goddamn baby killers." Merle said as he threw his leg over the Bonneville.

"Fuck no, we ain't." Norm agreed as he cranked his Harley.

Daryl nodded in agreement, mind turning to the expectant mother in his own bed. "So what now?"

Norm gave him five words before they pulled out.

"We get ready for war."


End file.
